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!