Dancin' Away With My Heart.

I have the heart of a country girl.

I was born in Texas. I love sweet tea. I'm all about high school football.

And I love my country music.

A LOT. 

I have a list of top music artists I absolutely adore, and about nine of the top ten

are country artists - including Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, 
Keith Urban, George Straight, and of course,

LADY ANTEBELLUM. 

This past week, I was lucky enough to attend my second

Lady Antebellum concert with one of my very best friends!! 

Words cannot describe how amazing this concert was.

.....okay, maybe a few.......

PERFECT. WONDERFUL. PHENOMENAL. MAGICAL.

Showing off my ticket to the big show!!

Kristi and me - We literally cannot take a normal picture together! 

The last time I attended a Lady A concert, I only knew about 2/3 

of the songs they performed. 

I spent the next two years dedicating my free time to learning 

every single one of their songs. 

I own all their albums and I jam out to them daily. 

And you know what??
I sang and danced and wooed to every number they performed!! 
It was fantastic; the most fun I've had in months!! 

(my apologies to the people forced to listen to my singing all evening)

Lady Antebellum really knows how to put on a concert. 

They will forever be my favorite group to see (closely followed by Mumford & Sons).

I love how interactive they are with the audience.

They understand that without us, as fans, they wouldn't be where they are today.

You can see and feel that they love their fans as much as we love them! 

They always have fantastic sets and amazing light displays.

Plus, they don't suck in real life. In fact, they are phenomenal in real life. 

Their CDs almost don't do them justice. 

Confetti canon going off during their last song!
(photo credit to Ms. Jenn Schultz)

If you've never listened to a Lady A song, I'm so sorry for your life.

These three songs only begin to scratch the surface with Lady Antebellum.

It's way too hard for me to pick "my favorite," as I love just about every song.

BUT as my readers, I highly recommend looking up more of their music.

Although it's country, it's beautiful and from the heart

and just about perfect in every way. 

Enjoy!!

ps - Thank you so much Kristi for getting tickets and taking me along.
Concert buddies for life! 

The Year of Me.

Happy New Year, Everyone!! 

2013.
What to say about 2013??
It was, without a single doubt, the hardest year of my life.
It was filled with so many ups and downs, so much happiness and 
immeasurable amounts of sadness. 
I learned lessons. I overcame challenges.
But most importantly, I grew.

When I think about this past year, there are so many experiences I 
am beyond excited and proud of....
I graduated college with a biology degree.
I got a new brother-in-law.
 I became a nationally and state certified Advanced EMT. 
I coached my first team and lead them to a winning season. 
I got to be in Coors Field for Todd Helton's final baseball game. 
And I decided to write a book.
(just to name a few things)

A lot of huge and exciting events took place in my life during this year.
However, with every happy moment I experienced this past year, it seemed like five 
miserable moments were lurking around the corner to quickly overshadow them.
I had to pack up and leave Greeley, my home for the last four years. 
I had my heart broken. 
I watched friends get their hearts broken.
I battled severe depression and lost all hope.
I got rejected from my dream job with the American Cancer Society.
So much darkness, where there should have been nothing but sunshine and daisies.

I've never really been one to wish away time, but this past year 
could not end quickly enough.
I was handed challenge after challenge. 
As quickly as I was figuring out one issue, another was popping up.
With every challenge I faced, the more I learned about myself.
Life's messy, but it's beautiful and rewarding and I'm willing
to fight to have the best one possible. 

BUT that was last year AND this is this year.
Welcome 2014!
 I'm so thankful you've finally arrived.
The door has officially been shut on 2013, and the only direction now is forward.

I've decided that 2014 is going to be my year.
The year I finally gain the self-confidence I so desperately lack.
The year I get strong, fit, and healthy.
The year I figure out where I want to go and what I want to do with my future.
The year I start to believe in myself.
And most importantly, the year I become uncontrollably and infectiously happy again.

To ensure I get the most out of this year, I've come up with four goals for myself....
1.) Work out more (I'm 22 and I want to look 22)
2.) Drink less Starbucks
3.) Say yes to more opportunities
4.) Just be happier 

Here's to 2014.

The year of change. The year of happiness.

The year of me!

ps - I made sure to eat my black-eyed peas for good luck this year

Feliz Navidad.

Tis the Season!!
Christmas is one of my most favorite times of the year.
I love houses decorated with elaborate lights and trees in the front windows.
I love the colder weather and spending afternoons making delicious treats. 
 And I even love the hustle and bustle of trying to find the perfect gift.

However, the two things I absolutely love the most about Christmas time are:
1.) Having our house bursting at the seams with family 
AND 
2.) Christmas Eve. 

Within the last year, my family has grown from five to seven(ish) members.
Jessica, my middle sister, got married last July.
And with her marriage came my new brother-in-law, Noah.
Jennifer, my oldest sister, had her beau Dave around for the festivities too.
One big, happy family home for the holidays!!

Our house all dressed up for Christmas!

A while back (maybe 7 or 8 years ago), my dad took my mom, my sisters, 
and me to see The Nutcracker at the Denver Ballet.
Over the years, it sort of became a family tradition. 
Any year we're in Colorado (rather than Texas, Maryland, or Florida), we attend the ballet. 
This year was no exception! 

We started our Christmas Eve off by attending a matinée of The Nutcracker. 
Although we see the ballet every year, I enjoy comparing
and contrasting the differences in performances from year to year. 
I don't know a whole lot about dance, but I do know that every performance we
see is just as beautiful as the last!

An afternoon at the Denver Ballet

After the ballet, we went to the Warwick Hotel where we had drinks.
I'm not a huge connoisseur of wine, but I tried a delicious
 sparkling wine (something called prosecco).
After drinks, we moved into the dinning room for Dinner.
Randolph's, the restaurant at the Warwick, had delicious food.
We ate and drank and laughed and had a wonderful meal together.

Our evening was wrapped up perfectly by attending the Christmas Eve 
service at St. John's Cathedral.

Christmas Day was spent relaxing around the house, opening
 presents, and spending copious amounts of time
playing Settlers of Catan and Farkle. 
It was the perfect day.

I had a very blessed and wonderful Christmas with my family!

Going Yard.

Life is a funny thing.
It feels like sometimes when I have things figured out, the very next day my life
seems to take a completely different path.
The path is never planned, but more often than not, usually 
turns out to benefit me the most.

Exhibit A:

A few weeks ago, I walked into Conifer High School to drop paperwork off with my mom.
As we left (about 10 minutes later), I was suddenly the new 
head JV/assistant Varsity softball coach.
What??.....Huh??.....HOW?!?!

Definitely not something I had been planning, but something I am exceptionally

grateful fell into my lap.
I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Let's back track a little....
I played softball for about sevenish years (spaced from high school to college).
I was never the best player, but I always had something a lot of other players didn't - 
extreme love and passion for the sport.
Where a lot of girls had competition (which I had, of course), I usually
was just happy to be out in the field.

My senior year of high school, I played varsity ball.
I didn't start most games and I very rarely ever played out in my beloved left field.
Rather, I found myself filling the position of being our catcher's runner.
She hit, I ran (kinda like Forrest Gump....I just liked to run)
I was a part of a team, and I loved it!

Fast Forward back to this year.....
Coaching has always been on my bucket list, so I leapt at the 
chance to have my own team.
First day of practice was nerve-wrecking. 
I saw the head Varsity coach (my old high school coach), she said hello, 
jumped in her car, AND drove away.
And so, my six JV girls and I jumped head first into our season.

To answer your question....YES I only had six girls on my team.
And yes, you DO need at least nine to field a team.
Thank God for varsity swing players!

This season definitely wasn't without its struggles. 
It seemed like every time I showed up for practice, one girl or the other was injured.
I saw more sprained ankles, torn ligaments, broken toes, and concussions
than an emergency room after a college rager.
No joke.
The athletic trainer knew the names of every girl on my team.
NEVER a good sign.

But adversity is key to making a player better - or at least that's what I believe.
We took every road block thrown our way and ran with it.
And you know what??...we ended with a winning record.
6-4, Baby.
Not too shabby for a first time (got no clue what I'm doing) coach!

Coaching proved to be one of the greatest twists to ever happen to me.
It was exactly what I needed, at exactly the right moment in my life.
These girls taught me more about my abilities and myself than I ever expected.

We laughed, we cried, we worked hard, but most importantly,
we made memories that will last a lifetime.
And for that, I am extremely blessed and thankful.
This team (both the Varsity and JV) will always have a special place in my heart.

Forever and always, a proud Lady Lobo. 

PS - I'd like to extend a HUGE thank you to everyone that supported me this season!

The wonderful cheering section that was the parents,

my amazing mom for learning how to keep the score and always keeping me sane,

and Coach Carrie O....for truly believing in my abilities both on and off the field.

You're more of a life coach and mentor than you'll ever really know.

The Bee's Knees.

One of the hardest parts of graduating from school, as I'm finding out,

has been parting ways with my wonderful roommates. 

I miss coming home to their infectious personalities and sharing stories

of our days and laughing until our sides hurt. 

However, this past weekend, we were finally reunited for a few glorious hours!!

From left to right - Tori, Sara, Molly, Me

While going to school in Greeley, we all fell in love with a church called

Christ Community Church. 

It was an exceptionally welcoming place and spiritual and practically perfect.

(We especially loved attending the Saturday night worships, as they provided us 

with more opportunities to sing and praise) 

This past weekend, CCC put on their 3rd annual Sharefest.

Most simply put, Sharefest is an event for church members to go out into the Greeley community and do good deeds.

We were given the opportunity to help a man repaint his house.

Although I have no training, someone handed me a paintbrush and a bucket of

paint and let me at this man's house. 
No need to worry, I stopped after I painted the side window.....just jokes!
(turns out I'm really good with a paintbrush)
His house looked great once we were finished!

It was a perfect way to spend a Sunday. 
For starters, I was with some of my best friends. 
I was also given the opportunity to broaden my horizons and meet new people. 
AND, I was able to help out a complete stranger. 
I'm thankful I could take part in such a beautiful and fulfilling event.
It was a wonderful and very rewarding day!

4/6 of the roommates!

Love this girl to death!

The rest of our weekend was a blur of Labor Day sales at Centerra, devouring ridiculous

amounts of sushi, cooking, and laughing uproariously together.

No matter the distance, whenever we come back together, it's like no time

or distance has come between us. 

I love these girls to the moon and back.

They're the bee's knees.

A Letter from Mount Everest.

Dear you,

It probably seems out of the ordinary to receive a letter from me, 

especially after so much time has passed.

But let's be honest, I always was the exception.

And this letter is no different.

This isn't me begging you to get back together or even to talk to me again,

but rather an opportunity for me to finally close the door.

You were, and always will be, my first love. 

You brought me so much happiness. Always put a smile on my face.

A smile - that many in my life - once told me they'd never seen before.

And you know what?....neither had I.

I loved the warmth I felt when I was wrapped up in your arms. 

The safety I felt when I was with your family.

And the tremendous amounts of love I had in my heart for you. 

But why am I suddenly sharing all of this with you?

Because you need to know that there are people that love you.

Your friends and your family and even

this ex-girlfriend (I still hate the sound of that).

Following our break-up, I was told a lot of different things by a lot of people.

 I was given tons of advice and guidance. 
Some good, some bad, and some that really caused me to think. 

But after everything, I simply wish that I could share with you all that I learned.

When you broke up with me, I was angry and hurt.

But mostly, confused.

What happened? Why wasn't I good enough?
Why was the timing so off? 

Why was the boy I loved walking out my door without so much as a glance backwards? 

Too many questions and memories swirled around in my head.

 I didn't eat for weeks, I lost interest in everything.

When I was able to sleep, my dreams were vivid depictions of you and me. 

When words failed me, I cried. A lot. 

I lost my spirit for life, and became severely depressed.

Simply put, I had hit my lowest point in life. 

Ever.

Yet here I am.....six months after hitting rock bottom.

I'm on the mend, finally headed to the castle.

I've had time to clear my head and organize my thoughts.

And if we ever spoke again, this is what I would tell you....

You have so much potential, you just can't see it.

You're stuck in the small-town life, working a job you don't really want.

I completely understand helping out your family (I'm in the same position),

but at what costs?
Will you ever pursue those dreams of going to mechanic school?
Or opening your specialized auto body shop?

It's time for you to grow up, broaden your horizons, 

and become the man you are meant to be.

Move out of that town, spread your wings to new experiences. 
Take that internship in San Francisco.

Make new friends. Pick-up a new hobby.

Reach for the stars.

You're going to take the world by storm one day.

I believe that with my whole heart. 

Now you need to see it too.

I don't want to ask anything of you, except this.....

realize that the door will always be open. 

For another relationship?....I don't know, but ALWAYS for a friendship.

I want to be there for you, to support you.
 To encourage your goals and dreams.
We broke up, but that doesn't mean the only option we have is to cut each other out.

You'll always have me - you occupy a very special place in my heart.

With that said, promise me the next girl you see gives you everything I couldn't.
I loved you more than words; however, I obviously wasn't what you needed.
Don't let our break-up be in vain. 
Make the most of this second chance. 
Search high and low. Find your perfect girl. 
And don't ever settle for less than what you deserve.

I've worked and reworked the ending of this letter.
But there really is no good way to end this letter, especially when I'm writing it 
to the man I once loved so deeply.
So I'll leave you with this....
I enjoyed every second of the journey we (Fifi LaTrick and The Don) shared together.
And I'll look forward to the day when we can once again be friends.

All my love, forever and always.

- Mt. Everest

The Unbreakable Vow.

It is with great pleasure and happiness that I introduce.......

MR. & MRS. NOAH ELMSHAEUSER!!

As of four days ago, my wonderful, amazing sister is now a married lady.

AND I officially have a brother-in-law. 

Yippee!!

The week leading up to the wedding was a whirlwind event.

Lots of loved ones, little sleep, but a lifetime of memories. 

We had family coming in from all over the country (Nebraska to Pennsylvania)

We did everything from a spa day to a tea party to a delicious barbecue.

It was a great week spent celebrating Jessica and Noah.

Sipping N' Painting for the bachelorette party

This special event took place at the Willow Ridge Manor - a gorgeous 

venue nestled away in the Red Rocks of Morrison. 

The day was perfect - warm, sunny, and nothing but beautiful blue

skies as the pastor read the vows and sealed their marriage. 

Jessica looked absolutely stunning.

Noah looked like the happiest man in the world.

And I cried. 

Yes, I actually ugly cried. 

I couldn't help it, I'm a hopeless romantic....I love seeing such a happy ending!

(sorry, not sorry)

Jessica and Noah's wedding was magical, 

but more importantly, it was encompassed with so much love.

Not just from those two, but from everyone in attendance. 

You could just feel the love and joy for their union.
It was beautiful.

And with that I must add.....
Welcome (officially) to the family, Noah!!

You are an amazing man, and I know you will give so much love

and happiness to my sister.

Thank you for that. 
God knew what he was doing when he brought you to her.
We couldn't have asked for a more perfect man to join our family.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not

dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, 

always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

LOVE NEVER FAILS. 

(1 Corinthians 13)