A Very Ryan Affair.

*Catch up post from May 24, 2014

I have been to Indiana exactly twice in my life.
The first time was for a college road trip with two of my best friends.
The second time was to attend a breathtakingly beautiful wedding.

Before delving into this story, I should preface that three (yes, THREE) of the main
people in this story are named Ryan.
Including the Bride (Girl Ryan), the Groom (Bohr) and our friend Ryan (Boy Ryan).
So, here we go.....

May 21:
Three of my college roommates, our token guy friend, Boy Ryan, and I
headed to small town Rochester, Indiana.
Our flight was set to leave at 6 or so from Denver.
However, after an afternoon of tornado scares at the airport, we finally
departed a little past midnight.
Yes, we sat and waited at the airport for SIX extra hours.

Selfies at the airport.  

After a somewhat shaky flight, we landed in Indiana at 4 o'clock in the morning.
Funny enough, our delay worked out perfectly.
We were able to find an early morning cup of Starbucks, pick-up our rental car (quite
possibly the coolest minivan EVER), and headed to Rochester.

We arrived around 7 o'clock in the morning, and promptly went to sleep.

May 22:
After two hours of dead sleep, we were off again.
This day was a blur of cleaning up the wedding site, catching up on a year's
worth of life between all of us roommates, and a
bachelorette party.

The bachelorette party was a classy evening filled with pottery painting
and a delicious dinner.
No strippers were invited to our girls night.

The crew for the bachelorette party!

Following the party, we were off to the airport AGAIN to pick up our last roommate.
Let me interject - the airport is a four hour round-trip from Rochester.
By the end of the weekend, I had logged more time on the road
than I did sleeping in a bed.....but it was totally worth it!

May 23:
From sunrise to sunset we were busy.
We did everything from cleaning glass jars to making pies to writing out wedding
favors to setting up the whole wedding site.
It was a busy, yet extremely fun day.
For the first time since our graduation, all of us girls and Boy Ryan
were finally back together again.

This evening was wrapped up by a gorgeous, homestyle rehearsal dinner.
We were surrounded by so many loving friends and family members of the bride
and groom, and we were quickly accepted as honorary family members.
We ate and drank and laughed the night away.

It was a wonderful evening.

The whole college gang back together.

May 24:
WEDDING DAY!!

We spent all morning helping get the bride and the bridesmaids ready.
As I cannot do hair to save my life, I was placed on steaming duty.
And let me tell you, not a single dress had a wrinkle walking down the aisle!
My remaining roommates curled hair and pinned hair and made-up faces.
Needless to say, everyone looked beautiful.

Once we sent the bride and her maids off to the wedding site for pictures,
we quickly got ourselves dolled up for the festivities.

The wedding site was breathtakingly beautiful.
It was outside, in a lush and green field accompanied by a small pond.
They had set up a large tent for eating and dancing.
There were so many handmade and personalized touches.
And their marriage alter was made out of an old door the bride had decorated.

Pinterest had nothing on this wedding!

Their wedding alter. 

The ceremony lasted fewer than 30 minutes, and yet it still managed to make me cry.
Tears of joy, pure tears of joy.

The ceremony was followed by an evening of eating lots of delicious food and
lots of dancing and laughing and memory making.
The weather was perfect. The wedding and people were perfect.
Simply put, it was all perfect.

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Bohr with the gang! 

The bride and groom sharing their first dance!

Remake of our college graduation picture.

Me with the beautiful bride. I love this girl
to the moon and back! 

This was, perhaps, the best weekend of my life.

So much love was shared and so many new memories were made.

I am thankful to have all of these wonderful people in my life.

And to the newlyweds -

All of the best luck in your future endeavors!

May you both always be surrounded by love and passion.

When you fight, never leave it unresolved. 

When you have children, love them with every ounce of your being.

And never forget to say 'I love you.'

Here's to your next grand adventure together! 

ps - a BIG shout out to our dear, sweet Boy Ryan. Whom willingly

spent a long weekend with six girls, and never once complained. 

You are a very special friend Ryan, and we all sincerely appreciate you!

Pass the Kool-Aid , Please.

For the last few months, I've been attempting to compose a blog post

about my experience as a crossfitter.

It seemed that every time I sat down to work, the words just never come out right.

They never adequately expressed the passion and love I feel for crossfit.

I've written, erased, and rewritten this post at least four times.

BUT......I think I've finally found the perfect words.....

I love crossfit. Simple as that.

I love walking into the box nervous, and leaving completely satisfied with myself.

I love seeing my personal growth from week to week, 

month to month, and year to year.

I love going into the box, lifting something heavy, and realizing two weeks

prior to that moment, my body wouldn't have been capable of doing it.

I love that I've grown both mentally and physically since starting - I can lift any weight, 

jump any box, throw any ball, and pull myself over any bar.

I have learned so much about myself and my abilities - both inside 

and outside of the gym.

I come face-to-face with my limits, and I push past them.

I am comformable with being uncomfortable, because I see the results.

I've gained confidence and know I can do anything.

I am strong.

I have drive, determination, and courage.

I am not afraid to sweat,

I am not afraid to tear, nor am I afraid to bleed.

I am only afraid to quit or to give less than my best.

Oldie but goodie from Battle Ready Crossfit
(photo credit to Mr. Ryan Dee)

I love the community of athletes I workout with everyday.

I love the warm and welcoming spirit at my box.

I love being encouraged, especially when I feel like I can't give anymore.

I love listening to hard-core music and having people yelling at me.

I love cheering on my fellow workout buddies.

And I love that I've met some of the most caring, giving, 

and dedicated people EVER through crossfit.

I became a crossfitter four years ago.

I drank the Kool-Aid. 

I joined the cult.

And I have never looked back.

ps - I hope this post encourages a few of you to try crossfit. I promise you

won't regret giving it a try. And who knows, maybe someday

you'll become as passionate (and addicted) as me!

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.