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 :)

April 15, 2013. A day that will live in runner's infmay

As I am sitting here watching the 9pm evening news, recapping the horrific events of earlier today, I am moved to tears. My heart is aching for so many reasons right now. I sit in disbelief that anybody could   have such hatred and lack of remorse with such cruel intentions to deliberately wound and kill so many innocent people. What kind of cruel world are we living in?

I try to imaging what this would be like to be apart of this horrific and chaotic day, and I just can't. What hurts my heart, is that today should have been such a joyous and happy day. A holiday for certain. And this day; Patriot's day, Boston Marathon Day, is tainted by these senseless acts of terrorism.

I sit back and reflect upon my own experiences of running races. My very first half marathon in Denver, years ago. The overwhelming and immense emotions of joy, pride, and accomplishment that is felt as a runner crossing the finish line; being cheered on by thousands of people, almost every single one of them a stranger yet a kindred friend who is genuinely happy to cheer you on and see you finish! And then to my first marathon in Chicago with almost 50 thousand runners. It was unbelievable that along every meter of that 26.2 mile stretch of city streets, the mass amount of spectators there to witness such a grand event, and cheer you from streets and balcony's, and encourage you to keep on as your body is feeling broken and beaten, and when you feel like you just can run another step, you hear a stranger in the crowd scream your name and cheer you on and re-assure you that you can do it! And to cross that sought after finish line and receive your medal, and know that you can do anything you set your mind to, and celebrate your victory with half a million of your closest friends. It is simply indescribable. And I think about those runners that have worked so hard & disciplined themselves for so many months, to  qualify for Boston and reach the pinnacle of races to experience that exhilaration and moment of maddening euphoria. And I imagine that all being taken away today.

I am not an elite runner, and I never will be. But I am a runner and I am a human, and I feel the heartache in my chest and the sickness in my gut in the aftermath of today. I pray that these senseless acts of hate will end. I know that the witnesses and the participants are forever changed after today, but I pray that it will not allow these terrorists to take away what we as American's have fought so hard to obtain. Let's not let them take away our freedom. Let's not let our fear make us prisoners. I pray for a better day tomorrow.
 

Welcome to twenty-eight

Well, birthday week has officially come to an end. It was a very up-and-down week but over all it was awesome! I am super aware now more than ever, just how blessed I really am to have such amazing people in my life :)

I am slightly embarrassed to admit, I've kind of been dreading turning 28 for a while now! It's not that I think 28 is old and that I'm getting closer to senility or anything dramatic like that, but it was just a big awareness and realization of where I am in life... In this moment... and figuring out where I want to go from here. If you would have asked me 10 years ago, where I would be at 28, my answer would include nothing of my reality, and everything that I don't have currently....Which definitely isn't a bad thing!!! I really do love my life and I am so pleased that I've had such great experiences on my own before the whole settling down bit. But I will also admit, I sometimes do have little twinges of longing after that same life that I so adimately pushed off to the side for the future. Maybe that's just normal though? It's just kind of weird to me that when my mother was my age I am now, she had two kids aged 7 and 1. I'm still renting a shoe-box sized apartment and keep moving around every 2 years or so!  Again, I will stress: I am not at all wishing that the married-with-kids thing was my life... because I don't  right now. It's just that I feel like I floated throughout my twenties without a care in the world, and all of a sudden, woke up with the real life stresses of grown up things! The reality that I have not nearly as much money in my savings account as I would like, I have a little bit more debt than I would like, saving for a house and (YIKES): retirement! and yeah...maybe I do want to think about finding someone who wants to marry me while I still have my looks, ha! I can't really describe it without sounding shallow so I'm just going to stop trying :)

Well, B-day week started out so awesome with a surprise birthdaycake from my friends Corrie and Kevin! I LOVED every bite of it! Tuesday night, I sweated it out with a little CPY in a last ditch effort to get in one last good workout at 27 :) and treated myself to a new yoga outfit with my birthday discount. Wednesday, I had the day off of work, as I make it a personal rule to never work on my birthday. The day was going so well as I treated myself to copious amounts of coffee and an afternoon at the spa, but it quickly came to a halt when on my way home, I managed to get myself into a fender-bender, and the news that my sister's house was broken into. Dang. So after crying and thinking that it was just a bad birthday that I wanted to soon forget, my bff Owen saved the day by taking me out to dinner and drinks & before I knew it I was already laughing about the accident. After all, that's what car insurance is for, right? 

Friday was the Rockies home opener and I celebrated the day with Andrew & Arika with some baseball and drinks, followed by birthday dinner at Hapa Sushi (my fav sushi place!) I had a turn out of about 20 friends and as I looked down that long table of people, I felt so humbled and honored that I had so many wonderful people there to celebrate with me! I really do have the BEST friends a girl could ever ask for! One thing I learned about turning 28, is that you certainly get a little bit more bold with age.....I may or may not have slipped the (cute) waiter my phone number and invited him out with us afterward! haha. Oh dear.....We finished the night with dancing and when I stumbled home after midnight, it was another realization that I can't party like I used to in my early twenties! Well, that's not true, I can still party but I'm paying for it for a looooong time afterward!

Saturday night, I was treated to dinner with Leigha and her family, followed by a night out on Broadway. (or a night out "On the Broad," if you will).
{it's okay if you don't find that funny}

As the weekend came to a close, I can't help but get a bit emotional thinking about how blessed I am, and realizing that in spite of my fears (and a slightly rough start) 28 is going to be wonderful year!! I am loving where I am in life, and I love the people that are here to support me and encourage me as I make my way. I am truly very happy, and I know it's only gonna keep getting better from here!

 

"Friends are the family you choose."--Re-quoted by my sweet friend, Alison Page-Cotter

Can't we all just be nice and accept eachother for our differences?

it is a particularly turbulent time in our society right now, what with all the fighting and siding with gun rights and gay marriage. I am not here to voice an opinion on either of these topics, mostly because neither of these topics affect me personally. However, I will voice my opinion and thoughts on what I see happening around me, and it makes me sick. I am so saddened by my fellow Christians showing such ugly sides by openly expressing such hatred. It makes me especially sad that this is happening right now during this Holy Week. The last few days and the next 3 days to come, I choose to reflect on Christ and how He suffered the death that I deserve to die, and he did it because he loves me. During this Easter season, my thoughts are focused on my own actions, and searching my own heart, I want to live out my Christian lifestyle by simply living in a way that reflects Christ's love. I am not God, and I am not the Judge. Therefore, I choose to live in a way that is accepting of my fellow friends, neighbors, and strangers in such a way that they will feel nothing but loved and welcomed by me. I am not here to "teach someone a lesson" or try to "prove the Bible to anyone." I feel that we are all put here on this earth to praise God, and the reality is that we are all given free will. I am sure I am going to have a lot of people disagree with me on this, and that's quite okay. I am not looking to start an argument or a debate.  I am not saying that I am right, as I very well might be very wrong in this way of thinking....but all I know for sure, is that Christ loves everyone, and he died for everyone that they may be forgiven. I open my door to anyone, regardless of your sexual orientation and ideas on other political things. I feel that by forcing Bible scriptures at people, is only going to turn people away from the One that we should be bringing people toward. Because we are all sinners, just in different ways.  If Christians really want to witness to people, then how about try by doing it in acts of Love and kindness, instead of judgmental acts of hate. that's all I have to say about that..

:)

The Canyonlands Half Marathon 2013

Last weekend I had such a wonderful time with some friends as we took a great little road trip to Moab, UT to run the Canyonlands Half Marathon. Last fall my friend, Kali, asked me to join her husband Matt and her to run the race with them. This has been one of the half marathons on my bucketlist of events for quite a while, so I jumped at the opportunity! We registered for the lottery and before I was ready, race day was here :)  

 
This is the first half marathon I have run since July 2011. I had a few other events since then, including the marathon, rky mt. relay, and a few smaller races, but I was feeling a little empty in the half department. I hate to admit after those other two big events, I had been feeling a little burned out with running and was a little scared to get back into it after those silly hip and knee problems of last year. So I was a little frustrated with myself this time around when I wasn't excited and motivated as I always was before my other races. I held back on my training runs, and I would skip the occasional 5 miler if I felt the slightest twinge in my knee, or first little bit of soreness in my hip. I skipped out on my last 11 mile run because it was snowing outside, and I made excuses and didn't want to slip and fall, and I didn't want to put in those miles on the treadmill. I think I let my fear of injury dictate a little too much of this whole thing. So needless to say, I was nervous about the outcome of this race when it came down to the morning of the event, but I was also ready to see if I still had it in me.


Friday morning Matt and Kali picked me up and we were on our way. We loaded up the Subaru {like a few good Colorado kids} and were on our way to Utah. I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful drive along I-70 west, up and over the mountains of Colorado and into the desert of Utah. We took the scenic highway through the Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. I was in awe of the beautiful landscape of the mesas and canyons carved out by years of the elements.

welcome to the glorious canyonlands

We got to Moab and picked up our race packets. We met Matt's parents for a big pre-race pasta dinner and went for a nice little drive through the beautiful landscape afterward.

 

We tucked in for an early night and were up and at 'em early the next day. We got loaded up on coffee and were shuttled up into the canyons. The race didn't start until 10am but given that 4000 people had to be shuttled up to the start, we sat around for a couple hours until the race began. Finally it was go time.

me and Kali before the race

The first few miles I was feeling great as I was settling into my pace. I was so relieved to be running without any issues, and I felt like I could run forever. I was definitely out of shape because of my poor training, but I enjoyed every minute of this race for many reasons:

• I was out of town with great friends having a wonderful time
• I was running with 4000 people, and remembering why I loved it so much
• the path was so beautiful and I was inspired & in awe the entire way
• even when it started to hurt, it was a reminder that nothing is ever easy, but it is always worth it to push yourself to get to where you want to be.

I was mere meters from the finish line and I heard my name being called out by Kali's parents and they were just what I needed to be encouraged! I waved back and powered through to the finish. 02:11:29 was my official time, and although it was one of my slower half marathon times, I was proud and happy of my victory.  Also, I was super excited to be along for the ride my friend, as she ran her first half marathon. It was awesome to be able to be there and celebrate her big event.

we finished!

After the race, Kali's and Matt's parents took us out to lunch and we celebrated our victories. We drove back to Grand Junction and stayed with Kali's parents. We enjoyed dinner and even a little shopping, but it was early to bed for these tired kids....Too bad our twitchy and achy muscles had a different agenda for a restless night...

After a fantastic breakfast-spread and goodbyes it was back on the road to Denver. It was such a wonderful and fun weekend, and I felt so blessed to get to share it with Kali and Matt. It was so nice to be surrounded by family (even it it wasn't my own ;) and feel like a kid again. It truly was like a flahsback to elementary school slumber parties at Kali's. Dede was in such mommy mode, serving us cookies and milk after the race and a huge pancake breakfast the next day. It was so nice and comforting. Who know's, maybe in 30 years I'll be serving up cookies and milk to some little/grown up girls who after twenty-something years of friendship, still remain friends and try new things together :)

Life is good.
 

Baby Sister all grown up!

Last week I had the absolute pleasure of taking engagement photos of Sister and Justin.

Okay, first of all, can I just say, how in the world is it possible that my sweet little baby sister is all grown up and old enough to be getting married?? I can hardly believe it myself. But ready or not, the wedding of the year will be happening in six-months time & my sweet little sis will become a Mrs.

Laurie & Justin have been dating for seven years. SEVEN! [sigh] I suppose it was bound to happen sometime, right? I was honored to put my amateur photography skills to work in Fort Collins, and take a couple shots of the cute couple. Here are a few of my favorites :)

 

  

  

  

  

Well, here is the grown-up girl. She may be this stunning super model now, and one day we will be wrinkly old ladies; but in my head and in my heart she will always be this cute little munchkin. Love you, sissy.

Sisters, 20 years later! :)

 -just me and my thoughts.

blessings&love.