January.

The first month of the new year has come and gone.

And I would have to say, it was quite successful.
If this past month is any indication of the coming year, 
I think 2016 is really going to be a good one! 

To start the year and this month off, 

a few of my college roommates and I headed to Granby for a girls weekend.

We rented a little (and I mean little) hotel room and let the good times roll.

Just like old times, we spent most of our time eating way too much food,

playing all the board games possible, and laughing

until the wee hours of the morning! 

Our girls weekend consisted of three days of reconnecting and exploring.
When the weather was nice, we found ourselves on a snowshoeing adventure.

We snowshoed a three mile loop around the beautiful Grand Lake - where 
we were  able to enjoy the bluebird skies, warm (for January) weather,

and each others company. 

Snowshoeing group! 

After our hiking day, we headed off to the hot sulphur springs.

We enjoyed soaking in just about every pool they offered,

even a magnesium pool, which was reportedly supposed
to remove toxins from our skin and to calm our nerves!
Although it was a bitter -10 degrees while we were there, and

our hair and towels were frozen solid as we soaked in 

the 110 degree pools, it
was an excellent end to our girls weekend. 

Time spent with my girls is always precious.

And it was definitely a great way to welcome in 2016!

Part of the Crew (not pictured: Paige, Abbi or Ryan)

The rest of the month seemed to fly by.
I am waiting to begin my microbiology class, so my days have
mainly been filled with making ice cream and crossfit! 

Front Squats (Photo Credit: Kelli Blue)

To wrap up this month, I got to spend some much needed time
with my sweet best friend, Kristi.
I was fortunate enough to spend some time in her classroom, and 
experience first-hand what an amazing teacher she is.
Kristi teaches 5th grade in Greeley, and works with a very difficult 
population of children; however, you could feel the love
and passion she has for her class.
It was amazing to see her in action and to see her using her talents
to help improve the lives of the children in her class.

Kristi's official teacher desk!

To enjoy a rare sunny day in Colorado (before a huge storm moved in),
we decided to tackle the ever elusive "Manitou Incline."
The Incline was originally created as a railway to carry supplies to Pikes Peak.
It later became a tourist attraction, where people could climb to the top.
The Incline is about a mile long and climbs over 2,000 vertical feet.
Essentially, it sucks (but it's also great)! 

View from halfway up the incline. 

I thought I was going to pass out and wanted to turn around once or twice.
But with every step I took, I felt myself getting a little stronger.
Both physically and mentally. 
I was tired and sore and couldn't breath, but making it to the summit
was one of the greatest feelings of my life. 
And the view from the top didn't hurt thing either. 
I even think once I regain use of my quads and calf muscles, 
I might plan another trip to the top of that little incline! 

Summit of The Incline!

Looking forward to the coming months! 

Interested in climbing The Incline?...Check out this link! 

2016: The Beginning

As the years go by, I find it harder and harder to put time aside

to sit down and share my life on my blog.

When I first graduated from college, this blog was a safe

place for me to adjust from the academic world into "adult" life.

However, as the years have passed, I've neglected my blog

and grown further and further from my safe haven.

As it is the beginning of a new year (hello, 2016), I've decided to try

my best to get back to the blogging life.

I like the idea of having a place to store my memories and to share

the adventures I experience throughout the year.....

even if I do lead a rather lack-luster lifestyle!

As I sat down this morning to delve back into the blog-o-sphere,

I noticed that I didn't post a single thing last year.

So, here is a recap of my 2015.....

I became an auntie to the world's most amazing and 

precious little boy.

My nephew (now 10 months old) is one of the happiest, most

outgoing, smartest, loving babies I have ever met.

I am completely wrapped around his finger! 

First time meeting my nephew - two months old!

I gained another brother-in-law!

In July, my oldest sister got married in the beautiful Woodland Park.

The ceremony, with Pikes Peak in the background, was

absolutely breathtaking. 

And now, I am the last girl standing.....

My family!

I finally decided my path in life - I am going to

 become an oncology nurse.

I applied to programs in early April and unfortunately was

not accepted; however, rather than feeling discouraged,

I began volunteering more at the hospital

and have worked my butt off to improve my GPA to a 4.0.

I will reapply this April....fingers crossed! 

I suffer from chronic migraines. 
While I have had migraines since middle school,
this past year marked the beginning of my journey with 
taking daily medications to prevent headaches and auras.
I am thankful for the daily relief the medication provides me; however,
my medications make me extremely tired and confused,
so it has been a year of adapting and learning how to function
in my new reality.

I attended just about every country concert that came to town!
My concert list this past year included Kenny Chesney, 
Jason Aldean, Old Dominion, Hunter Hayes, Sam Hunt,
Lady Antebellum (for the third time), and Taylor Swift!
But hands down the best concert I saw all year was....
The Band Perry!!
Do yourself a favor, and buy tickets to their next show.

Kristi and I with The Band Perry!

I was able to coach for my third year at Conifer High School.
It wasn't our most winning season, but 
I am always thankful for the experiences and time
I get to share with my girls.
Looking forward to this coming season! 

Crossfit continued to be a main fixture in my life.
I found a wonderful crossfit to become a member of almost
two year ago, and I absolutely love them.
Crossfit Encounter changed my life for the better.
The people I workout with have become an extension of my family - they support me,
encourage me, and love me unconditionally.
I could never have enough kind words for my Encounter buddies!

My people! 

Other updates?
Still making the best ice cream in the state of Colorado.
Joined a co-ed slow-pitch softball league (and we won the championship).

2015 League Champs - Team Hold Onto Your bats!

Still volunteering my weekends away at St. Anthony Hospital. 
Developed my skills as an amateur quilter. 

A work in progress.

Enjoyed a lovely family vacation in the Florida Keys.
And got to visit two of my best friends in North Carolina.

Me and my girls!

And with that, I close the door on a wonderful 2015!
Looking forward to this coming year and
all of the exciting things in store.

Let's go, 2016!

Bay Party of Two

*Catch up post from September 21, 2014

In second grade, I met a peculiar brown-haired girl.
She wore big glasses and loved to read.
She could use sign language fluently.
And her family had Texas roots as deep as mine.
Her name was Abbi Clark.

As Conifer is a small town, Abbi and I grew up together.
We moved from elementary school to middle school to high school with each other, 
even ending up at the same college.
Where, of course, we became roommates.

We experienced a lot with each other over the years.
From birthday parties to sleepovers to school dances to our grand acting debuts
at Stagedoor Theater to the first time each of us began dating. 
She was, in essence, the third sister I was never given. 

In high school, Abbi began dating a boy named Nick.
I had known Nick since middle school.
Like I mentioned, Conifer is tiny. 
From what I saw in high school, they would date for a bit and
then break up for a bit. 
It was a fleeting love, or so we all assumed.

My opinion changed, however, junior year of college.
Abbi had begun to date Nick again.
I remember, as she sat with a gleam in her eye, and told us roommates
that she had started seeing him again.
She talked about how full her heart was and the happiness in her life
and even spoke about how this was "a different type of love."

Well.....

Here we are - September 21, 2014 - their wedding day!! 
(yes, I realize I am posting this in December)

After years of trials and tribulations, Abbi and Nick 
FINALLY tied the knot. 

The beautiful couple! 

They had a beautiful ceremony at the Highlands Ranch Mansion.
It was the perfect setting.
The exterior looked like a castle and the intricate interior details only
added to the magical illusion. 
In lamest terms, they pretty much were married at Hogwarts.

They were surrounded by a small group of family and friends,
and the couple was married by Abbi's step-father.
The ceremony was breathtakingly beautiful.
And yes, I shed a few (or a lot) tears of joy for them.

I was honored to be a part of their wonderful day.
I was in charge of their guest book and handing out programs.
It was the perfect job, and one I more than gladly accepted.
And I even got a corsage.....
Sadly, it was the very first one I've ever received.....

The whole evening was a wonderful mixture of old and new.
I was able to catch up and see many friends I had grown up with,
while also sharing the evening with my new college buddies.

My gang for the evening! 

We spent the evening dancing and laughing and 
taking way too many pictures in their handmade photo booth.
The evening was magical. 

Photo booth fun

Greeley Gang

Remake of our college graduation photo with the bride! 

Abbi and Nick are two of the most amazing people I have met in my life.
Both of them are filled with so much passion and life and love.
I can't wait to see what the future holds for them.
However, I do know, whatever it is, they will charge at it head first....
and in great style! 

Here's to the happy couple, love you both! 




ps - a few extra pictures...because you can never have too many! 

Group shot from the bridal shower

Group shot from the bachelorette party

Family Reunion.

*Catch up post from July 4, 2014

As a young girl, I spent a lot of time in Texas.
My family is from Texas, it's where I was born, and despite growing up in Colorado,
 my heart belongs to that wonderful state. 

Although I have spent a great deal of time traveling around and seeing Texas,
my fondest memory of the state is the time I've spent at our family's lake house. 
It's located in Palo Pinto, small town West Texas.
It's surrounded by cactus and rattle snakes and a huge man-made lake.
In essence, it's heaven on earth. 

For as long as I can remember, I have been going to that lake house. 
It's been a part of my family for over 30 years.
My dad spent college summers laying the stone stairs, 
and my grandfather built the dock. 

Placard from our lake house

As a family, we spent just about every 4th of July out there.
Spending days on the lake - learning how to water ski or fishing for 
giant catfish or simply enjoying the rays. 
However, once I began college and business picked up at the store,
we slowly stopped attending Independence Day at the lake house....

Until this year.

After close to eight years of missed attendance, I finally returned to 
my beloved lake house.
As a birthday gift, my eldest sister bought me a ticket to Texas. 
A one week vacation, meant to be spent at our lake house of the 4th of July.
It was like my childhood was rushing right back towards me.

I spent my days soaking up the Texas heat (it averaged 110 degrees most day),
I enjoyed taking walks with my Grandmother and watching the fireworks
and attending the annual catfish fry! 

Thermometer on our porch....that's in the shade too! 

Real Texas-style catfish fry

And I would've enjoyed swimming in the lake; however, Palo Pinto
was experiencing their worst drought when I visited.
It became somewhat of a joke that we had to "mow the lake" rather
than go out and fish in it. 

Dried up Lake Palo Pinto

The true surprise came when my parents - whom claimed to be working
the family business - showed up on the 4th of July.
It was, after eight long years, one big family reunion at the lake house.
We spent the day eating hot dogs, playing on the lake, 
smashing a piñata (family tradition), and simply
soaking in each others presence.

It was, hands-down, the best 4th of July to date! 

My family!

The Thompson Clan! 

View from the dock - Flags representing all of our colleges

To Infinity and Beyond.

*Catch up post from June 28, 2014

The state of Colorado has exactly 53 mountains with peaks that
exceed 14,000ft in elevation.
They are most commonly referred to as "14ers."
In my life, I have climbed exactly one.

Mount Quandary.
14,271 feet in elevation.
Located in beautiful Breckenridge, CO.

Aerial view of Mt. Quandary

As I grew up in Colorado, I developed an appreciation for 
the great outdoors. 
 I love to spend time outside.
And by that, I mean watching squirrels play or counting the stars in the sky.
I don't do a ton of hiking, or at least not in recent years.

During the summer, my best friend, Sara, was planning a move to North Carolina.
As a result of this move, she made a list of things to do prior to
leaving the beautiful 303.
On her list, like any Coloradan, was to climb a 14er.

Neither Sara nor I have ever climbed a 14er, so we enlisted the 
aid of our dear friend, Paige.
Paige has climbed multiple 14ers, and plans to climb
all 53 of them some day! 

The three amigos at the trail head!

Our group consisted of five people - the three of us and two of Paige's friends. 
On a beautiful late-June morning, at 7o'clock,
we left the trail head and began our adventure up Mt. Quandary.

I am active, partaking in about four crossfit classes a week, 
so I didn't think this mountain had anything on me.....
Boy was I wrong!
While I could handle the physical challenge of climbing over the loose 
rocks and gaining a few thousand feet in altitude, 
what killed me was the thin air.
I have lived with asthma for 20+ years, but this breathlessness 
was like nothing I'd ever experienced. 

Despite my inability to breath most of the hike, I had
a great time climbing Mt. Quandary.
The views were like nothing I'd ever seen.
You could see forever.
Any way you turned, you just saw miles and miles of beauty.
It was hard to stand on that mountain and not believe in a higher power. 

View right at tree line

Our real adventure started once we got out of tree line. 
Since we were no longer protected by the trees, we suddenly added 
extreme winds to our hike. 
Like hurricane-speed winds.
Despite the wind and the sun glaring off of the snow (yes, snow in June),
we persevered up the side of that mountain.

It took us four hours, multiple chewy bars, four false summits, and tons of water,
BUT we made it to the top.
However, as it was so frigidly cold, we spent less than five minutes 
on the summit of the mountain! 
Just enough time to celebrate our achievement and to get some pictures.

The breathtaking view from the summit! 

Mountain goats we saw along the way.

The three amigos on top of the summit. 

Making it to the summit was one of my proudest moments. 
The hike was challenging - both mentally and physically.
You have to believe in your ability to make it to the summit, and 
keep pushing yourself past your limits. 
Yes, I was tired. And yes, I wanted to quit. Multiple times.
But I kept putting one foot in front of the other and made it to the top. 

I made it to the summit! 

This adventure helped me realize that I am capable of accomplishing
anything I set my mind to.
Nothing can stop me.

To celebrate our achievement, once we safely made it off the mountain,
we enjoyed a large lunch of hamburgers and beer. 
Although I was tired and couldn't feel my feet,
climbing Mt. Quandary, with my best friends, was one of the best days of my life.




Side note - if you ever decide to climb a 14er, make absolute sure
you wear sunscreen. And lots of it.
I wore capris with no sunscreen, and I paid dearly with second
and third degree burns along my lower legs. 
Complete with swelling and blisters and sun poisoning.

My sun-brunt legs, which were lovingly referred to as my "Red Socks"

So much swelling, so little time!

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!