A fun weekend of family time

The older I get, the more I realize just how much I absolutely relish in the time I get to spend with my family. Don't get me wrong, we quarrel and get angry at one another, and my family is just as weird and crazy as the next, but I love them and they are mine :)

Maybe it's because it's not too often that we are all together at the same time & place, so when it happens, it's a guaranteed time of laughter, tears, and endless jokes. This weekend was nothing short of that.

Me and my sweet Mischa

Friday night we all met up and Sis and Justin's house in Fort Collins. We lounged in the back yard for a couple hours having a few drinks and playing with the dogs before my sister's big night of graduating from Colorado State University. We were so proud watching her walk and receive her bachelors degree in Human Development and Family Studies. We didn't leave campus until about 10pm, but I insisted that we go out to celebrate her big night. We agreed to 'just have a beer' and go home as we were all feeling pretty tired. But the waitress came over with a tray full of shots that the owner was passing out to all the graduates (gotta love college towns). Well, the waitress also didn't want my sister to take a shot alone, so somehow I ended up with one in front of me.... The next thing I know, a couple rounds of shots later, Dad, Sis, Justin and I were walking down College Ave. to another bar where we met our cousin Jonathan to keep the "celebration" going. Needless to say, it was a rough wake up on Saturday morning. If I think I'm too old for stuff like this, my poor dad is definitely too old :) haha. We lazed around and hydrated, as I realized, it probably wasn't such a good idea to drink so much 2 nights before a half marathon....

So proud of you, Sis!!

my sis and future brother-in-law :)

Oh hey, cutie!!

Sunday morning, bright and early 5am wake up call. May 19th was the Colfax Marathon & Half Marathon. This was a big deal for me for a few reasons.

• The Colfax Half was my very first race I ever ran 3 years ago. It was that day in 2010 where I caught the running fever and kept at it, pushing myself to physical exhaustion that I never thought I'd ever experience and love.
• This was a goal of mine to be the race of the year that I hoped to break not only my own personal time record, but do it by running it under 2 hours.
• This was the first of all of my races that my family would be at to watch me finish.

I ran this course with waves of nostalgia, recalling my steps on this course 3 years ago and I couldn't believe what I allowed my friend Leigha to convince me to do...  Sunday's race was such a vast difference from the first time I ran. I was scared, I had no idea what to expect, no idea who I thought I was,  no idea if my little legs would even cross the finish line or if I would have to be picked up by a rescue truck; to this year when I ran with such confidence. I've done this before...I can do this, my body is strong, and I know what I'm doing :) Since that day I have completed 8 (official) half marathons, 1 marathon, and various other distance running events. And this time, my family was all there to see me cross the finish line and get my medal. It was truly one of the happiest days. I didn't break my sub 2 hour goal, but I did break my personal best time, with an official 2:04:47. It didn't happen Sunday, but I know one day I'll get there :)

such a perfect CO morning to run Colfax

What made me the happiest though, was just knowing how lucky I am to be surrounded with all the support and love from such an  amazing family. I'm so blessed with such a weird little family :)

Paramore Paramour

You know how you have your favorite band that you've been following since you were young and wild, and even though you grow up & "mature" they remain your favorite? Well, that's me and my band, Paramore! To say that they are my favorite band would probably be an understatement. I follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and yes, even Instagram. I am a dork. But I'm a dork that got to happily see my favorite band for the 4th time this week with my kid sis. It was Sister, after all, who introduced me to Paramore back in the day, so it's only appropriate that we see them together each and every time!

Sister first introduced me to this little-known alternative punk band back in 2007 right after I graduated college. I immediately fell in love with them and downloaded their first two albums off Limewire (remember that one??) For years I continuously had those CDs in my car, and it was Paramore that got me through every single drive across colorado  ((In fact, now that I think about it, I have all four of them in my car CD player right now, and those first two albums have never left my CD player since the day they were burned, except for the time I got a new car when they were transferred directly over.))

The first time we saw the band was in the Spring of 2009 at Fiddler's Green Amphitheater. To this day, that concert is my all time favorite. Sister, my BFF Angela, and I paid 15 bucks to see Paramore open for No Doubt. It was the perfect outdoor concert. 

Our first Paramore show at Fiddler's Green! So excited!

Paramore W/ No Doubt - Fiddler's Green ((May 2009))

That summer, ((after a close call of breaking up)) the band released their 3rd album and went on tour again, only this time they were headliners! The three of us got tickets to see them again that same fall at the Fillmore, but for some reason, Sister couldn't make it. So Angela and I carried on, and jammed out hard core like the tough girls we are :)

Angela & me getting excited for the show to start!

Paramore w/ Paper Route - The Fillmore Auditorium ((Nov. 2009))

The next summer, Paramore headlined the Honda Civic tour and performed at Red Rocks (with Tegan & Sara). We sang our hearts out under the summer sky, and loved every minute of it.

Sister and Me @ Red Rocks. We [HEART] Paramore!

Paramore w/ Tegan & Sara - Red Rocks ((Sept. 2010))

It seemed like a bit of time had gone by without much activity from the band, with the exception of a couple exceptional movie soundtrack singles.  It was early this year that I heard the band was releasing their 4th album, and going on tour again, and JACKPOT! Coming back through Denver to the Fillmore! There was no question. We. Had. To. Get. Tickets.

Waiting in line for the doors to open!

Another amazing show at the Fillmore ((May 2013))

Tuesday night's show was yet another brilliant performance as Ms. Hayley Williams did her thing and we fell in love all over again. I had such a great night jammin out with my sis :) Together again, Sis and I had the night of our lives singing at the top of our lungs to all our favorite songs, old and new. We left with happy hearts and ringing ears, smiling at what has become our tradition of following this band over and over again. The fact that I am 28 and rocked out hard with all the other 16-year-olds in the venue, is only a little bit funny :) It was brought to my own attention the next morning as I struggled to get to work at 6:30am, that maybe mid-week concerts should start to become a thing of the past.... But then again, nah! I will gladly see Paramore any day of the week over and over again until I'm 80! I love so much that my sister and I share this, and that throughout the years, we've always had this band to bond over. Maybe that's really what I love about Paramore more than anything. 

Paramore throughout the years :)