All Posts By

Alli Santmyer

Travel

Being a Tourist In: Scottsdale, Arizona

March 21, 2017

Hi, welcome back to Allison in Wonderland!  Today’s post is going to be another travel post about my spring break trip to Arizona.  If you haven’t checked out last week’s, I’d love it if you’d read it!  It’s all about the time I spent in Sedona, Arizona.  Let’s get started!

I’d never been to Scottsdale before this trip, so I was pumped when I realized I’d have enough time to visit this time around.  Before going, we looked up a couple things to do but mostly just decided to wing it.  Scottsdale is a really great city to just go with the flow and that’s exactly what we did!

We started out at a coffee shop/bike rental store called Regroup Coffee & Bicycles and rented the cutest bikes!  They let us choose whether we wanted pink, green, blue, or black ones so we picked the ones we wanted and were on our way.  We rode all around – visiting Old Town, the Fifth Avenue area, and everywhere in between!  We didn’t want to stop at a ton of shops so biking was the perfect way to get around.

After spending a couple hours in the sun, we decided to head to the Desert Botanical Garden which is also in Scottsdale.  This was something that was at the top of my list and I’m so glad we made it there!  It was amazing to see so many plants that we don’t see on the East Coast all in one place.  It was incredibly beautiful and we had the perfect weather to be able to enjoy being outside.

The last thing we did in Scottsdale was go to their new aquarium called OdySea!  It was on the smaller side but once you got in, it didn’t feel small.  The coolest part about it was the carousel feature they had.  We walked into a room that had a few rows of theatre seating and once everyone was seated, they did an introduction and then the room spun!  They showed us the shark tank, sea lion tank, and a tank with sea turtles.  It was a really cool feature and made the whole experience a million times more memorable!

With Scottsdale being so close to Phoenix, it was definitely worth the extra drive time.  I’m so glad we went!  If you’re visiting, I definitely recommend getting around by bike – it was so cool!  See you next week with my last Arizona travel post!

Travel

Being a Tourist In: Sedona, Arizona

March 14, 2017

Hi everyone and welcome to my first Arizona travel post.  This year, I spent spring break in Phoenix and the surrounding areas and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

We flew out to Phoenix on a Sunday afternoon so we were lucky to have the whole week ahead of us!  On Monday, we started out in Sedona, Arizona.  I’d been there before, about ten years ago, so I was super excited for another trip back!  When we got there, we visited a beautiful church that’s built into the side of the red rock and it was incredible.  They actually hold a weekly service there and I was wishing we could’ve gone!  It was a really special experience to be in a place as amazing as that.

After visiting the church, we headed towards Midgley Bridge and walked around on a trail that starts at the top of the bridge.  The views in this area, and in Sedona in general, are breathtaking and this trail was just another example of the incredible scenery Arizona has!

 

Later, we grabbed lunch at a really cute place called 89Agave and walked over to where we were supposed to go for the jeep tour we booked.  We used the company Red Rock Western Jeep Tour and it was great!  The views were awesome and the guide was really knowledgable about the history of the area.  When we got to the top of where we were going, he let us out and we got to walk around on the rocks and look at different views than you would normally see at the bottom.  It was cool to me how one side of the canyon was all red rock and then the other side of the canyon was another, whiter type of rock.

When we got back from the jeep tour, we checked out some of the cute, western shops in the Sedona area.  After picking up a couple souvenirs, we headed home.  I would definitely recommend going to Sedona if you’re in the area, it’s amazing!  Even after visiting two times now, I would go back in a heartbeat.  See you next week with another travel post!

Things I'm Loving Right Now

iPhone 7 Plus Review

March 7, 2017

Hey everyone, welcome back to my blog!  Today, I’m going to dive into the spectrum of tech reviews!  I’ll be talking about all of the good and bad parts of my new iPhone 7 Plus; I hope you like it!

I got my new phone at the end of January, so I’ve had a little while to figure out if I like it or not and I love it!  I had the iPhone 6S before, so I didn’t think I’d notice many differences, but I have.  The screen is substantially bigger, so that provides a much better viewing experience for reading texts and emails.  It’s also really nice for going on my favorite apps, like Instagram and Snapchat!  Overall, the screen quality is just so nice that I can’t imagine going back to the smaller size.

Another major upgrade with this phone is the camera!  Not only is the quality a million times better, but Apple introduced a new feature called Portrait mode.  In this mode, the camera focuses on the subject and slightly blurs the background as if you were using a DSLR!  This is the feature I’m the most excited about and I’ve been using it a ton!

One negative that I’ve noticed about the iPhone 7 Plus is that it takes about twice as long to charge as my old one did.  That makes sense because of the size difference but it’s not something I thought about before purchasing the phone.  Luckily, that’s the only negative thing I’ve found so far!

I hope you enjoyed my mini tech review!  Leave a comment if you’re thinking about getting an iPhone 7 Plus and have any questions for me; I’d love to get back to you.  Have a great week!

How To

10 Ways To Be Happier

February 28, 2017

Hi!  Thanks for coming back to Allison in Wonderland for another post!  Today, I’m going to be sharing 10 ways to be happier in your everyday life.  These days, it feels like winter is dragging on and on, so I hope these tips will serve as a little pick-me-up!  Enjoy!

  1.  Watch the sunrise/sunset.  I tend to see more sunsets than sunrises, but I love them both!  It’s so cool how God makes the sky look different every night.  It’s calming to sit there and relax while you watch the sun go down; I highly recommend it!
  2. Look nice.  It’s so easy, especially in college, to go to class in sweatpants and a t-shirt, but it will boost your self-esteem if you spend a little time in the morning getting ready.  You don’t have to put on a full face of makeup, but a little mascara and a hair brush will do wonders to your outlook on the day!
  3. Do nice, spontaneous things for people you love!  Everyone loves being able to buy people little surprise gifts every once in a while but you don’t have to spend any money!  Doing something nice can even just be sending them a text wishing them a wonderful day.  It will make them feel good and it will make you feel good.  It’s a win-win!
  4. Take pictures.  This one might not apply to everyone but I love taking pictures.  Taking a photo and getting the shot that you envisioned in your head is the most incredible feeling and it lifts my mood in an instant!  Try it!
  5. Light a candle and take a bath.  This is one of my favorite things to do when I have a lot of time to hang out.  It’s so refreshing and you get clean at the same time!
  6. Be a tourist in your own town!  This is something that’s easier to do if you’re from a place with a larger population but you can make it work even if you’re not!  Every hometown has the things that make it special, so spend the day going to a few of your favorite spots.  Hopefully, you’ll get a great new outlook on your town!
  7. Spend time with your friends or family.  Spending time with friends and family is a great way to be surrounded by love and support.  Your friends and family want you to be happy so they’ll do everything they can to make you that way!
  8. Go to Target.  Target is one of my favorite places to go whether I need something or not!  I love looking at the home section and their candle section is to die for!  It’s so fun to walk around and see what new things they’ve gotten since the last time I was there.
  9. Listen to music.  Music is one of those things that’s perfect for whatever mood you’re in.  If you’re sad, there’s a playlist for that.  If you’re happy, there’s a playlist for that.  Whatever you’re feeling, music understands, and it has the power to work all your feelings out.  Give it a shot!
  10. Take a drive.  This is one of the best pieces of advice I can give for when you’re feeling down.  I love taking a drive, especially when it’s warm outside and I can have the sunroof open.  It’s such a good way to clear your head!

That’s all the advice I’m going to be sharing for today!  I hope it helped you out!  If you have any fun ways that you stay happy, let me know in the comments.  I’d love for you to share!  See you next week!

Travel

Travel Bucket List

February 21, 2017

Hi everyone and welcome to another week with me on Allison in Wonderland!  This week, I’m trying something new and doing a bucket list post!  I think I’ve mentioned this is previous posts, but I’ve really gotten the travel bug in the last year or so and I decided it’d be fun to put together a short list of some of the different places I’d love to travel to in the next couple years.  I hope you enjoy!

When I was in high school, I really wanted to travel out of the country.  That’s one of the reasons why I chose to go to James Madison University, because they have such wonderful study abroad programs!  Once I got to college though, I realized that we have so many cool destinations right here in the U.S.!  Because of that, most of my destinations are in the United States.  Check them out!

  1. Hawaii
  2. Banff, Canada
  3. Nashville, Tennessee
  4. Charleston, South Carolina
  5. Bora Bora
  6. Seattle, Washington
  7. Boston, Massachusetts
  8. Martha’s Vineyard

There’s one place that I left off the list and that’s because I’ll be traveling there over spring break so be sure to keep an eye out for all new travel posts coming in about a month or two!  Any guesses where I’m going?

Fashion

February Style: A Winter OOTD

February 14, 2017

Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog!  Also, happy Valentine’s Day!  I hope you’re having a wonderful day so far!  This post is going to be pretty short and sweet, but I wanted to talk about some of my most recent style tips for dressing for chillier weather.  Let’s get started!

When the temperature really starts to drop, the first thing I think to do is layer my clothing!  I love the look of layering and it keeps you warm so it’s a win-win!  In the outfit shown above, I have an olive-colored peplum tee from Urban Outfitters and it’s so soft.  It’s short sleeve, so it can be worn all year round, but when I pair it with my striped sweater from Loft, it makes it perfect to wear throughout the winter!

On top of the sweater, I threw on a lighter, navy blue jacket that I found at a local boutique.  It wasn’t too cold outside, so I didn’t need anything heavy and it did just the trick!  I didn’t feel too bulky even though I had multiple layers on and I stayed cozy and warm all day.  It’s nice to dress in layers during the wintertime too, because you’ll be warm when you’re outside and then you can take clothing items off to help cool you down when you get to where you’re going.

That’s my colder weather OOTD, I hope you liked it!  You can take these ideas and interchange any cute tees, sweaters, and jackets that you might already have to make it your own!  If you recreate this look, let me know in the comments below.  See you next week!

Things I'm Loving Right Now

A Year of Blogging

January 31, 2017

Hi everyone and welcome to this week’s very special, sentimental Allison in Wonderland blog post!

What makes this week’s post more special than usual is February marks the one year anniversary of this blog.  I started this blog not really knowing how long I was going to keep up with it, or if I was even going to like it and it ended up turning into one of the best, most challenging adventures in my life and I’m so excited I get to share my favorite memories from this past year with you!

For the first six months that I had my blog, even though I was posting regularly, I didn’t tell anyone about it except for my family and my boyfriend.  I wanted to make sure I was doing it for the right reasons and, looking back, I’m so glad I went about it in that way.  It gave me time to figure out the direction I wanted to go with my blog and my style of writing before a lot of people I knew personally were reading it.  Without that weight on my shoulders, I was able to write about the things that I was experiencing and get a feel for myself as a new blogger before putting it out there for the world!

In reflecting on the year, I think the most exciting thing to happen to my blog was my blog makeover that happened a few months ago!  I was able to partner with a wonderful company who transformed my blog into a site that’s much more user friendly and professional.  I can’t wait to carry that momentum into this year and post a lot of new, creative content for you!

Throughout the year, I grew a lot as a writer and a blogging personality and I’m so thankful to my readers, both those I know in person and those I don’t, for supporting me and reading my posts week to week.  I’ve written about a variety of topics and I want to continue to write about those in the coming year, but I also want to incorporate other, newer topics that I’ve never covered before.  If you have any ideas or specific posts you’d like to see, please comment below and let me know!

I’m so excited for the next year of Allison in Wonderland and I can’t wait to see where it takes us!  Thanks for reading and, as always, see you next week!

Beauty

I Chopped My Hair

January 10, 2017

Hi everyone and welcome back to Allison in Wonderland!  Today I have some exciting news… I cut my hair!  If you’ve seen photos I’ve posted in other blog posts or on my Instagram, you might remember that my hair was very long and this past week, I cut a lot of it off!

I’ve been thinking about cutting my hair for a while now and I’m so glad I finally did it!  I was a bit nervous going into my appointment because I cut it this short a couple years ago and ended up wishing I hadn’t, so I’m so relieved it turned out well!

 

 

Basically, all I got done was I chopped it to my collarbone and then added some long layers to give some dimension.  I never really straighten my hair anymore so I wanted a cut that would look best curled.  By adding the long layers, I think it will make it more bouncy than it would’ve been!  I also lightened it a little bit but I think I’m going to go even lighter when we get closer to the summertime.

If you have any hair suggestions, leave it in the comments.  I’d love to hear what you have in mind!  See you next week!

Fashion

Winter Clothing Haul

January 3, 2017

Hi everyone and happy New Year!  I’m back this week with the clothing haul I promised in the last post!  As I mentioned before, the bulk of my Christmas presents were clothes, so I have a few looks to share today – I hope you get some great outfit inspiration for 2017!

Starting off, I got a bunch of sweaters and other really cozy items and one of my favorites is this one from Urban Outfitters!  It’s forest green – one of my all-time favorite colors – and is perfect for layering in the cold weather this winter.  I wore it with a flowy tank I got from American Eagle and I think they complement each other really well!  I love this tank because you can transition it from summer to winter with just a few tweaks in what you pair it with.

 

 

Another item I’ve been loving to pair with the sweater with is this adorable pair of boots!  While they’re not the most comfortable pair of shoes I’ve ever owned, they’re just so cute!  They match the chestnut color in the tank perfectly and are so different from any other shoes I have.  I love how the dip in the boot shows your ankle and adds an interesting side to your outfit!  These are also nice because you can wear them in a lot of different seasons, not just during the wintertime.

 

One of my favorite gifts I got this year is this pair of sunglasses from Madewell!  I’ve gotten a few things from Madewell in the past, but never sunglasses, and I’m so, so excited about them!  They’re just what I was looking for and I can’t wait to wear them in the summertime!  They’re going to be perfect for taking to the beach, going out on the boat, or even to take on a fun road trip!  Also with these sunglasses came a free case, so if you hurry you might still be able to catch the sale!

 

 

I also received this fun top from Free People and I’m obsessed with the color.  I’ve been in love with this shade lately and am so glad my wardrobe can follow along!  It’s always nice to spice up your closet with bright colors in the wintertime and the top is so warm as well!

The last items I’m going to share today are a few pairs of jeans.  I’ve been wearing American Eagle jeans for years and I still love them today!  They fit so well and come in so many different styles!  I got a staple, darker pair for everyday wear and I also scooped up a cute pair of lighter, ripped jeans!  I like how the rips are only at the knees and not super noticeable like some of my other pairs.

That wraps up my winter clothing haul, I hope you loved it as much as I loved writing it!  Let me know if you’d like to see another one in the next couple months.  See you next week!

 

Things I'm Loving Right Now

My Brand New Blog!

December 22, 2016

Hi everyone and welcome back to Allison in Wonderland!  I hope you’re having a wonderful December and have some fun, holiday plans to look forward to in the next couple weeks!  Today, I have a very special post about some changes that are coming to my blog so let’s get into it!

Over the past month or so, I’ve been working on a secret project and am now excited to announce that my blog is newly self-hosted!  Basically that means that instead of being on WordPress.com, I’ve switched to WordPress.org which allows me to own my URL without the wordpress.com at the end.  If you head over to allisantmyer.com, you’ll be able to see everything I’ve been working hard on!  A company called Blogerize reached out to me and I just couldn’t pass up their wonderful design skills!  My new blog has so many features that I’ve wanted to incorporate for a long time and I’m so excited to share it with you all!  I hope you love it as much as I do.

Going along with that news, I also have to address the fact that I won’t be posting on my WordPress.com site anymore.  All my content from allisonsantmyer.wordpress.com was transferred to allisantmyer.com, so everything I’ve written up until this point will still remain on both sites.  The only catch is that all my new, weekly content will only be posted on allisantmyer.com.  I’d love it if you would keep up with me on my new site through this transition and I can’t wait to see what you all think!

I’ll be posting again in a few days with a Christmas haul so be sure to check back to see some of the gifts I got from my friends and family!  Thanks for reading!