Farewell 2014

After a very low key New Years Eve, I had a low key first day of January. I also decided to capture 2014 with a photo a day. The next day, I had to return Holmes and Watson back to the Humane Society to find their forever home. Later that week, Christian and I met Rachel and Travis down in Cabo San Lucas and had a great, relaxing week. When we got back, I did a three day cleanse and loved it. I had an incredible opportunity to volunteer at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah in January, so my mom and I took a little road trip to Salt Lake City. I was able to stay with my friend Julie and I volunteered at the Park City Library and had a great experience! I can't wait for next year! I met Christian in the mountains after my time in Utah for a weekend getaway that included date "night" at Devil's Thumb. We had a great time cross country skiing and Christian did great for his first time. At the end of the month, I bought a juicer and started making lots of yummy juice.

Favorite post of the month: Cabo San Lucas in Pictures

February started off with my aunt's surprise party. I just love surprise parties! The next day was Superbowl Sunday and of course that was a huge bummer for us Coloradans. Christian and I didn't have a typical Valentine's Day, but instead celebrated over a couple of days. We went to the couple's class at Pure Barre the day before then out to dinner for February Date Night. I had participated in another Cara Box Exchange and got a great box! I started selling some clothes on an second Instagram account and it was a decent success. (You can still shop my closet.) I got back into babysitting after a long break and offered up some advice for parents and babysitters. February wasn't the most exciting month and I didn't have a lot of events or notable experiences, but I did use my juicer a lot and tried to eat healthy and worked out a lot, especially toward the end of the month.

Favorite post of the month: Pickwick & Weller

I was looking forward to March because that meant my second challenge at Pure Barre, this time it was 21 classes in 31 days. (And yes, it snowed like crazy on March 1st.)  We kicked off March with our second annual Oscar's party and it was a huge success! The food was great and we had like triple the turnout from the year before. I spent a lot of the month exercising (spinning or walking when I wasn't at Pure Barre) and hanging out with friends. I celebrated four years of blogging (although I originally for got my blogiversary on the 9th).  On the 14th, exactly 8 months after my first class at Pure Barre Boulder, I took my 100th class. It was such an accomplishment! Christian and I had our monthly date night and hung out on Pearl Street, eating at a great restaurant and making a few more fun stops. Of course no March is complete without Irish Carbomb Cupcakes for St. Patricks Day.  March Madness kicked off and of course I filled out a few brackets--okay, four.  While most people tossed theirs when Dayton and Mercer pulled major upsets, I was actually on roll getting 15/16 correct picks (thanks a lot CU) on the first day. Of course it was all downhill from there.  We celebrated my mom's birthday toward the end of the month and the beginning of baseball season, as well.

Favorite post of the month: 100 Classes Later

 April kicked off with a bought of spring snow on a day I went to Denver for a seminar for work. Fun times. I made homemade macarons twice in April, once for fun and once for Easter. Christian and I hosted a viewing party for the return of our favorite show, Game of Thrones and it was a blast! Everyone brought themed food and it was delicious and the premiere did not disappoint. Compared to last April, it truly felt like spring. It was warm enough to sit outside and watch Rachel play soccer and made me want to buy fresh flowers, although that's not a something I can afford to make into a habit. April's date "night" turned out to be low key: breakfast and a hike not too far from home. (That's what I love about Colorado.) Easter Sunday was spent at church and having lunch with my family, just how Easter Sunday should be spent. Before the month was over, I picked up a litter of four kittens to foster and I was offered a position working the front desk at Pure Barre! On the last day of the month, after more than a year and a half of being together, Christian and I mutually decided to call it quits on our relationship and work on our friendship instead.
  
Favorite post of the month: Game of Thrones Season 4 Premiere Party

I started May by visiting an old friend in Fort Collins for dinner and celebrating my cousin's baby on board. Nothing like dinner on a patio or mimosas in the morning! I got my spring Cara Box from Ali and loved all the Pasadena/LA goodies! For once, I celebrated Cinco de Mayo in style with some margaritas at the famous Rio in Boulder. We did Mother's Day a day early by going to high tea with my mom and sisters. It was so much fun getting all dressed up for tea! The following day, we got a huge cold front that lasted a few days and it even snowed. Yes, on May 11th. My sweet kittens were doing so well and all of Hawthorne's eating paid off when he weighed in just 1/2 an ounce short of 2 pounds. They were all able to get fixed and get on the adoption floor just in time for the Humane Society's "kitten shower". My friend Stephy's son turned one and the party was a success. She asked me to make the smash cake, so I got to use my Kitchen Aid mixer for the first time. Over Memorial Day Weekend, I picked up two new foster kittens, Argon and Neon. Argon was born with a clubbed foot, but it's like he doesn't even notice. On Memorial Day, I went to Folsom Field to watch the 36th Annual Bolder Boulder. I ended up not running, but it was fun sitting in the stands and watching everyone finish and the ceremony afterward. We spent the rest of the day at the Boulder Creek Festival. I spent the rest of the week enjoying perfect weather and setting some goals for the summer. I also decided to create a budget for the first time in my life and to give it a trial run in June.

Favorite post of the month: Ten on Ten :: May 2014 

June was the first full month of my budget, even though I started May 29th. It actually went really well and I spent a fraction of what I had been spending previous months. Stephy convinced me to take a personal day at work (okay, I didn't need much convincing) and spend the day in Estes Park. We went for a short walk around Bear Lake, had a picnic lunch, and stopped for the most amazing cookies in the world on the way home. I spent time doing typical summer activities: the farmer's market on Saturday, brunching on Sunday. What's better than that? I also decided to purchase Tiny Tea and do a 28-day teatox. I noticed a difference almost immediately! My friend took me to visit her horse out in Johnstown and I rode a horse for the first time in YEARS. Sadly, there was no big Game of Thrones finale party like the premiere a few months earlier, but I did get nearly 500 likes on one picture on Instagram about it. Sorry, I had to just throw that in there! I was in shock! Toward the end of the month, I took my 150th class at Pure Barre Boulder. I got hit with FIFA Fever with the USA's success (with an asterisk, I guess) and I named my newest litter of foster kittens after the guys who scored for USA in the first three games: Brooks, Dempsey, and Jones. They were the smallest kittens I've ever had and even though Jones was a bit standoffish at the beginning, he came around. I was invited to my first-ever gender reveal party and found out my friend and coworker is having a baby boy come November. I also did a three day juice cleanse on the last weekend of the month, this time with Suja.

Favorite post of the month: Bear Lake Adventures

July seemed to come a little early this year. I couldn't believe how quickly the year was going! Casey and I went on our first date and it was enough to do the trick. I probably had one of the best 4th's of my life. I made an American flag cake for the second year in a row (after one failed attempt on the 3rd). I went to the Rockies game with some friends and even though the Dodgers won 9-0, the fireworks were amazing and I want to make it a 4th of July tradition! On the 10th, I celebrated four years of participating in Ten on Ten! (Boy, have I come a long way!) I also went with my mom, sister, and nephew to see Peter Sagal and Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me live at Red Rocks. It was amazing. The show was great, the weather was perfect, and the venue was--of course--breathtaking. I got my little sister to try Pure Barre for the first time and she loved it. (Though I have yet to take someone to class that didn't at least like it a little bit!) A few days later, I celebrated my one year anniversary at Pure Barre Boulder with my 159th class and then a Pure Barre BBQ later that weekend. For the last week in July, I went to New York City to visit my friend Krista. I did all the necessary tourist things (30 Rock, Central Park, the Met, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and more!) and had a blast on my trip! She had to work a lot while I was there, but I actually really enjoyed exploring on my own!

Favorite post of the month: 4th of July

August started with my readjustment back to work, MST, and the mountains. (I missed the big city!) I took my kittens back to the humane society a few days after I got back, but I later got an email that after 10 days on the adoption floor, Brooks and Jones had been adopted and Dempsey had come down with a cold. I ended up taking Dempsey back for a short-term foster so he could get better at a home. I spent my 24th birthday in the mountains with my friend Stephy. It was the perfect little getaway and just what I needed! I had a family dinner to celebrate the next day. A few days later, news of Robin Williams' death spread and I actually took it pretty hard. The next day, I visited the house used for exterior shots in Mork & Mindy, located in Boulder. It was incredible to see the outpouring of mourners and how they were choosing to heal after the loss of a great entertainer. That weekend, I got the haircut I had been looking forward to for at least a month. I went a few inches shorter and even got bangs for the first time in about six years! I finally got back into a routine with going to church and it was just what I needed. I went to Nederland to hike and enjoy beautiful Colorado, then tried Cherry Cricket for the first time ever (and it did not disappoint). I went to my second Rockies game of the summer and they actually won this time. I also visited the brand new rooftop and had a Rio margarita, which is not to be missed. Dempsey went back to the humane society after two weeks and quickly found his new family. College football returned with a disappointing loss to Colorado State at the Rocky Mountain Showdown. My little sister and I went down to Colorado Springs the next day to see an Air Force game.

Favorite post of the month: Live in Peace 

My September started with a very low key Labor Day and the beginning of Pure Barre Bingo (which I ultimately did not black out). I decided to bite the bullet and finally play fantasy football, which was exciting and all-consuming. I ended the month with a 3-1 record, so not too shabby! We celebrated my brother-in-law's 30th birthday and later watched my little brother get sworn into the Army. I returned to Folsom Field for the home opener against ASU, which was actually a heartbreaking loss since we didn't play too bad. Unfortunately, that tapped me out for CU games that month though. I enjoyed another blate with some ladies in Denver and helped some Pure Barre besties celebrate their birthdays in Boulder. I took my 200th class at Pure Barre Boulder and tried Beat Cycle for the first time, which was so similar to Soul Cycle, I instantly fell in love! I had another blate when Caitlin came to Denver for Pure Barre training. I also started going to Merge at my church, a sort of youth group for young adults. It's become a part of my weekly routine and I'm loving it. Summer turned to fall and I got to visit Rocky Mountain National Park and Grand Lake (my favorite place in the world--so far) and see the beautiful yellow and orange aspen trees. It was the best day. We ended the month with family photos for the first time in years and Colorado's temperatures finally dropped to feel a bit more like the new season.

Favorite post of the month: Four Months of Budgeting

October started with yet another trip to the mountains for a wonderful girls' day with my friend Stephy and her kiddos. By the end of the week, my little sister turned 17. I still remember the day she was born! How was that 17 years ago? Rachel and I headed to our church's newest campus for a women's retreat for the weekend. It was such an awesome two days and I even got to see Vanilla Ice in concert in between (which was anything but awesome). It seemed like Colorado forgot that it was fall since it was in the 70's or 80's the majority of the month, but I still celebrated the change of seasons with pumpkin everything from Trader Joe's. (Thank God it came to Colorado in February!) I tried on some new glasses from Warby Parker and picked out my newest frames since I was long due for a change. I added to my flannel collection and tried a new sushi burrito place in Boulder. Yes, that's a thing now. Casey and I had an awesome date night in Denver and the following night, I saw Anberlin live for the fourth and final time when their farewell tour came through the Mile High City. I got another litter of foster kittens: Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin and I got accepted to volunteer at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. We had a great Pink Week at Pure Barre Boulder and we took family pictures with my mom's side of the family for the first time since I was probably five. I had the opportunity to go to Thursday Night Football and see the Broncos play the Chargers and it was the most fun! With the weather as nice as it was (80* at the end of October!), I went back to Rocky Mountain National Park for the day when Casey had two friends visiting. Later that night, I went to a Humans vs. Zombies lock-in at the CU Engineering Center and had the most fun! The next day, I went to my second game at Folsom Field of the season and it was a heartbreaking double overtime loss to UCLA for homecoming, but it was fun nevertheless. My new glasses came and I instantly fell it love. It was time for an upgrade. I also decided to upgrade my phone and go from a Galaxy S3 to an iPhone 6, which arrived on the 31st. Casey and some other Pure Barre boyfriends were coerced into taking class the last Tuesday of the month and it turns out they didn't hate it as much as they thought they would. It's always nice to share something important with an important person, though. I celebrated Halloween with breakfast for dinner and going trick-or-treating with Stephy and her family. It was a lot of fun to see Halloween through a 3 year old's eyes.

Favorite post of the month: Retreat to RMNP

I kicked off November with yet another CU game and yet another heartbreaking defeat. After the game, my mom, my sister, Casey, and I went to Denver to see Frankenstein with Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch. It was amazing! Although I didn't actually vote on the 4th (thanks, mail in ballots!) I followed Election Day closely. Knowing and caring about politics is kinda fun and it's absolutely empowering. It didn't take long (actually, like 30 minutes) for the weather to go from abnormally warm to bitterly cold and we got our first snow of the season. My Premium Starter Kit from Young Living arrived and I was absolutely thrilled to start using essential oils in my every day life! My family went to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the Pepsi Center for an early Christmas concert. They rocked it! A few days later, Casey and I realized that we just had too many differences to overcome and called it quits. My brother-in-law Travis graduated from fire academy and I couldn't have been happier or more proud for him! He's been chasing this dream for years now! I beat my first sore throat of the season with my new essential oils, solidifying what a great decision to invest it was. My high school won their semi-final play-off game at home and headed to the State Championship for the first time in five years. (I graduated high school seven football seasons ago.) I got the sad news that my dad and step mom decided to put their dog Toby down. He was 13 years old and lived a good life, but it was time. The Sunday before Thanksgiving, my mom hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for her side of the family since we weren't eating together on Thursday. I paid off my car in November, which was extremely exciting! I also sat 2nd row at a Nuggets game against the Bulls which was the most incredible experience. On the way out, we saw Demaryius Thomas and Andre Caldwell of the Denver Broncos. It was awesome. For Thanksgiving, I attempted my first-ever apple pie and we ate at my aunt and uncle's house. It was a lot of fun, as usual! That Saturday, my high school got embarrassed at the State Championship and CU couldn't hold on to beat Utah, meaning they went winless in their conference for the first time since 1898. What a bummer!

Favorite post of the month: 30 Day Spending Freeze - A Budget Update

December was hands down the busiest month of the year for me! I kicked it off with a craft night with my dear friend Stephy (where I made deer heads!) and of course we watched Love Actually. December also brought on a new Pure Barre challenge, this time nationwide (take 15 classes in 31 days), which was just the motivation I needed to get back into it.  I went to the choir and orchestra holiday concert at CU, which was incredible. I want to make it a new yearly tradition! The next night, I headed downtown with some girls from church to watch the Denver Parade of Lights. It was so much fun and we got to watch from a sixth story window so we could stay warm and sip champagne! (Again, a new yearly tradition, please!) We got our Christmas tree on the 7th and I slowly started to decorate over the next week. It was fun being totally in charge of the Christmas decorations this year! I went to Zoo Lights at the Denver Zoo for the first time and we had a blast. We were lucky that it was fairly warm for December, so it was actually enjoyable. The next night, the young adult ministries at my church threw an ugly sweater party and I got to make my melting snowman cookies for the third year in a row. We had our Christmas party at Pure Barre, which consisted of manicures, sushi, champagne, and a classy white elephant exchange. It was a lot of fun and I'm lucky to be a part of such an amazing team. The next day, Pure Barre Boulder celebrated its four year anniversary! My family did a Thanksgiving do-over since my aunt had been sick on Thanksgiving, so for the third time this year, I got to eat turkey and potatoes and bread! Yum! The following Wednesday, I picked up a new litter of foster kittens: Buddy, Jovie, and Susie (name for Elf). They are so tiny and so sweet! I got some time to wrap gifts and almost avoided malls and shopping areas altogether, but not completely. My church did the Christmas Eve service the weekend before Christmas, but it was as magical as always. For my other work Christmas party, my dad and I went out to sushi and it was delicious! Some family friends were in town for the holidays, so we had a chili dinner and game night. It was a blast, as always. The next night, on Christmas Eve, we got together at my dad's house for our traditional appetizer spread and Ivory Elephant gift exchange. Christmas was low-key, but quite enoyable with my mom's side of the family. And we got a White Christmas! The next day, my mom and I went to see Into the Woods and then spent the rest of the day hanging out at home with the kittens (with Star Wars and lots of snow). The year closed out with lots of snow and frigid temperatures below 0.

Favorite post of the month: Ten on Ten :: December 2014

Farewell 2012

 Don't forget you can like TFATO on Facebook, here. 

Another year has come and gone and it's hard to believe.  With today being the last day of 2012, I'm going to journey back to the first day and see what this year has had in store for my life.

For my first New Years being at least 21, I was pretty lame and went to bed before midnight and simply woke up to the New Year the next morning.  That day, I went to a local bar to watch the Denver Broncos lose against the Kansas City Chiefs, but win a play off spot.  January 2012 wasn't the most exciting month in my life.  I spent a lot of time babysitting kids from the day care center I worked at and started testing the waters at bars in a nearby college town.  Some big things that happened in January included my cousin and his girlfriend deciding to adopt Leif and Twig, the two kittens that we had been fostering since August.  I also put in my notice at the day care center when my dad offered me a job at his law office.  I decided not to quit completely and to stay on as a sub, because I was sad to be leaving the children completely.  I set new goals for the year--borrowing a few from the previous year--and the Academy Award nominees were announced!  One of my favorite things in January was a game night with some of my cousins.  It was so much fun to eat homemade pizza and spend time with my siblings and cousins without all the adults, something that never happens!

I had a big month in February.  At the beginning of the month, I said goodbye to a full time position at the day care center.  It was hard leaving the kids and my coworkers, but I knew it was time to move on.  I started at my dad's office working just a few hours a day while I trained.  I also went on a family vacation on a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico.  That was definitely a new and interesting experience.  Although I slept the best I ever had on the boat, it was a weird feeling.  And going to Mexico was fun, but it was only for a few hours.  When we got off the boat, we were in New Orleans the day before Mardi Gras.  That was awesome to walk around and see the culture in the Big Easy.  It took a while for the feeling of being on a boat wore off, but the food made the cruise worth it.  I went cross-country skiing for the first time in years, which was a fun experience!  And of course I continued to babysit steadily, one of my favorite things to do.

March brought on some interesting challenges.  The first weekend of the month, my beloved car died.  For good!  So I had to spring into a car hunt to find a new one.  Eventually, I settled on a 2002 Honda Accord, a five year upgrade from my 1997 Honda Accord.  On the 9th, my little blog here turned two years old!  That's hard to believe.  We also had some exciting news here in Buff Nation when CU made it to the Big Dance for the first time in 9 years.  They upset UNLV in their first game and moved onto the third round to face off with a former conference rival, Baylor, but ended up losing.  For St. Patrick's Day, my sisters and I made car bomb cupcakes again, and they were a big hit as usual!  I liked them a lot better this time around.  By the end of the month, I was almost two months into my new job at my dad's law office and really enjoying it!  I also went to the Denver Zoo for the first time in almost four years.  And on the last day of the month, I got my dress for Rachel's wedding in the mail!

For some reason, April is striking me as a pretty boring month.  I unfortunately didn't finish any books in April, despite a stellar month in March.  I only saw three new movies in the theater, and I only did so-so at the rest of my goals for the year.  My babysitting side-job took a bit of a dip and I even had to say goodbye to one of the kids as he and his family moved across the country.  CU had their spring game and the fans got a first look at the possible new quarterbacks for the 2012 season.  By the end of the month, it was less than 30 days until Rachel and Travis's wedding, which was so exciting!  I just enjoyed having down time--and time to myself--most weekends, which I didn't get much of during the first three months of the year.  I also had to say goodbye to one of my favorite TV shows forever--One Tree Hill.  It was an emotional time in my life.

May hit the ground running.  The first Sunday of the month, we celebrated Rachel at her bridal shower, which was a blast and definitely a success.  I enjoyed getting to know some of the important women in her life a little better.  I spent the majority of that weekend baking for three seperate events, and although it was exhausting, it was defintely rewarding.  Trivia also came back for a four-week trial run, which was the best news ever!  And eventually, babysitting started to pick up again.  I really cherish that time since I don't get to see the kids from the day care center every day anymore.  I went to my little sister Sam's choir concert and discovered she's the only one in the family who can actually sing.  She was absolutely amazing in her solo in "Seasons of Love".  It finally started to feel like summer right when things began to pick up for Rachel's wedding.  The end of the month absolutely flew by with all of the wedding festivities and the other million things I was busy with.

When I first think of June, I realize it was the month that I became obsessed with Instagram and the combination of spinach and mushrooms--in omelets, quesadillas, etc.  Weird, right?  I started fostering kittens again in June, with Raleigh, Reggie, Remy, Rosie, and Rufus coming home with me on June 5th.  They made numbers 24 through 28 for our foster roster (ha!) and were the first white kittens we ever had in our home.  I also started writing a lot more, as I said I would each month.  In addition to journaling and doing free writing in a notebook, I wrote a 3000-word short story using the opening line "It was 8:57 and the cookies were in the oven."  My friend Matt wrote a story of the same length with the same line.  It was fun!  I went on my first hike of the year (with Matt) in Boulder.  And I got really into playing Risk with my new brother-in-law.  We went 1-1 for the month.  I suppose most importantly, I took my babysitting to the next level when I traveled with a family for the first time.  I went to Vegas Wednesday through Saturday with a newer (at the time) family and had a blast.  It was my first time to Vegas and to Nevada (getting me one step closer to my goal of 10 new states) and I really enjoyed it.  It wasn't so bad knowing that it was just as hot in Colorado.  Another fun summer thing were food trucks!  Every Monday during the summer, there is a gathering of food trucks not terribly far from my house.  They have live music and a lot of great choices.  It was fun.  And, I should note that the temperatures towards the end of the month stayed around 100-105, not even dropping below 90 until the sun went down at 10:00!

July seemed to fly by.  The Fourth was a blast and I got to spend time with family and friends, that I hadn't seen in a long time!  It's always fun to see old friends and July seemed to have a lot of that.  I had an odd month at the movies, in that I only saw two.  Just two!  Both were superhero movies, too.  On the flip side, I read six books, including the Fifty Shades trilogy that everyone was talking about.  I helped my dad pass out voter registration packets one night.  It was actually kind of fun to be political for a minute.  I also had two kittens at my house the first few weeks of the month.  It was hard to say goodbye to Remington and Rosie because they were just the sweetest.  My babysitting seemed to pick up again in July, and that definitely kept me busy.  July was a lot of fun for a pretty regular month.  Nothing exceptional happened.

TFATO started to take a new direction in August 2012.  I started posting more about my own personal style and happenings in my own personal life.  I kicked off the month celebrating my 22nd birthday in quite a low key fashion.  I'm just not big on birthdays.  However, my dad's side of the family had a celebration for my late grandmother's birthday, which would have been the day before mine.  That was a lot of fun!  I really got into the Olympics this year and I already can't wait for 2012 in Rio.  It was really tough for me to watch the closing ceremonies; I didn't want it to be over.  I celebrated summer by attending a four square party thrown by my older sister and her new husband, going out to brunch at my favorite brunch place with some old friends, winning back-to-back weeks at trivia, wearing a lot more gold jewelry, and starting a countdown until fall--and college football season.  Most importantly, I started a small bakery from my very own kitchen.  I had two orders in August and was starting to feel like a real pro!  Oh!  And my car got its very first flat tire.

September, of course, started out with the disappointed CU-CSU game.  That basically set the tone for the rest of the season and we finished the month 1-4 with a surprising road win against Washington State.  I got to travel (mostly to Denver or Boulder) a little more for work.  A new spinning studio opened up nearby and I started getting my ass-kicked by spinning once a week again.  (It hadn't been since January or February.)  And I even hung out with some old college friends.  I started my first-ever 30 for 30 outfit challenge on September 2nd and it carried me through the rest of month.  It was a lot of fun documenting my outfits for my blog and getting creative with how I paired or styled certain pieces.  I also met John Elway!

I continued my 30 for 30 challenge through October, finishing mid-October.  My little sister turned 15 at the beginning of the month, so I tried my hand at an ombre white cake for her birthday.  It turned out well, but it also turned out very tall!  I also participated in Ten on Ten for the first time in October since I started doing it in July of 2010.  At the end of the month, most of my family reunited in Portland, Oregon for a weekend in the northwest.  It's been a long time since I've been up to Oregon, so it was great to be back and to hang out with my extended family for a longer amount of time than usual.  We did some sight seeing and we also went to the ever-disappointing CU game in Eugene against the Ducks, who were (and are) one of the best teams in the country.  We had a blast despite our embarrassing performance.  It snowed in Colorado right before we left on the trip, but when we got back on the 28th, it was back in the 70's an we enjoyed a very warm Halloween for the first time in as long as I can remember.  (We used to have to trick-or-treat in snow jackets when I was growing up.)

On November 1st, I kicked off my second 30 for 30.  I was determined to finish within the month, and I got pretty close.  It was more difficult the second time around, but I blame it on the colder weather.  November was pretty finicky though.  Right before Thanksgiving, it was warmer than usual and then suddenly cars were covered in frost every morning.  I went to an apple orchard, but was too late in the season for apple picking.  I voted in my second election.  I made pumpkin pie twice for family Thanksgivings--an early one with my dad's side and one on the big day with my mom's side.  I didn't give up on CU, but I skipped out on the last two home games of the season (following along on game cast on ESPN) after they got shut out by Stanford at home.  The day after the last game of the season, CU's head coach got fired, opening up the door for new opportunities, hopefully going in an upward direction.  I went to a great play with my mom and sisters called Dixie's Tupperware Party that I highly recommend to every woman I know.  And to top off the month, I got my very first smartphone--a Samsung Galaxy S III.

In a blink, December was gone.  I was determined to do a lot of holiday things this year, so I started off the month with an 1880's Christmas experience in Denver, followed by the Parade of Lights.  I finished my second 30 for 30, much to my relief.  I found it was much more difficult the second time around, which I blame mostly on the weather.  I went to the Christmas program at the day care center I worked at last year, I went to The Nutty Nutcracker, as performed by one of the girls I babysit, I saw Plaid Tidings with my mom at a dinner theater, and I went to a paint your own pottery place with some ladies for a wonderful afternoon of snacking, white elephanting, and crafting.  A huge mile stone in December was the final day of my 101 Goals that I set just after creating TFATO in 2010.  I completed 64 of them and am still working on them today.  Christmastime with my family was, of course, wonderful.  I'm so blessed to be able to spend time with loved ones around the holidays.  We went cross country skiing as the year drew to a close and I saw a record low three movies in the theater.

Farewell 2011

Another year has come and gone.  Another 365 days full of memories.  Let's take a look back on the glorious 2011.

For the first time in my life, I welcomed the New Year in another state.  I had a week left of my original program at Disney World and would soon be starting an extension.  I rang in the new year at a small gathering with some friends from life guarding.  We watched the countdown and I even had my first New Years kiss with my then-boyfriend Brett.  The following week, I was saying goodbye to many new friends as they returned to all corners of the county and the world.  I moved from one apartment complex to another and got 4 new roommates.  I continued my Resort of the Week project that I had started in the last days of December.  It was so awesome going around to all the resorts and seeing new things, since the parks had kind of gotten stale by then.  I worked a little at All-Star again, but I also got to do new things at my home region, like work in the aqua play area, which allowed for more guest interaction.

In February, I worked through the first week and a half and then finally got to go home and visit my family in Colorado.  I had seen them since the end of July (except for Rachel and Sam coming to visit on separate occasions).  Brett flew to Colorado with me too on our first ever trip together.  We celebrated Valentine's Day the next day--my first with a boyfriend--and our three month anniversary later that week.  He flew home the next day and I stayed a little longer, spending time with my family and some of my friends.  When I went back to Florida, I realized my heart belonged in Colorado and I needed to self-terminate my internship two months early and move back home.  It was a tough decision, but the right one.  Brett and I spent my last days in Florida together, doing some things I hadn't done--like going to the beach.  On the last day of the month, I departed for a cross-country roadtrip.  Solo.  I drove all the way to Baton Rouge, Louisiana that day and stayed with my aunt and uncle.

I was at my aunt and uncle's house for the first week in March.  I got to see both of my cousins (and Nicole's daughter for the first time) and even do some real Louisiana stuff, like eat alligator.  At the end of the week, I drove to Dallas to meet my mom.  We drove the rest of the way back to Colorado together.  It was a fun day that got me hooked on audiobooks.  In my first weeks home, I looked for a job and went to the library almost every weekend.  I started baking with my sister Cady a lot more and even went to my first-ever Nuggets game.  By St. Patrick's Day, I had started a job at a local day care center where my sister Rachel already worked.  I was hired as the assistant teacher in the room for babies that are 6 months to 1 year.  It didn't take long for me to fall in love with those babies.  Near the end of the month, I got my first litter of foster kittens for the year--and since July 2010.  Arthur, Ariadne, and Mal quickly made themselves at home and we quickly fell in love.

In April, I got to see snow for the first time in about a year.  I was so excited, because it was a far cry from those 100 degree days at Disney World.  I went to my second-ever spring football game at CU a few weekends into the month and got to see a future NFL star (Nick Solder) and a current NFL star (Mason Crosby).  It felt so good to be back at Folsom Field and definitely started a countdown to regular season kick-off.  Our Inception kittens only spent a month with us, as they all got fixed and went onto the adoption floor only a month after we took them in.  Near the end of the month, I went on vacation back to Disney World, something I had been looking forward to since I had left.  I spent 10 days with Brett, doing Disney World parks and even going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for the first time.  I got to see a few other friends while I was down there and go to another Orlando Magic game.  I even finished my Resort of the Week project.  I also rose early the morning of the Royal Wedding to watch history being made.  It was awesome, and probably something my future daughter will ask me about in years to come.  (And I think it's the first month in forever that I haven't seen a movie in the theater!)

I got back to Colorado at the beginning of May and went straight back to work.  One thing I can say of those kids is they made me miss work very much while I was on vacation.  And I don't think I've ever missed work before!  Early in the month, my little sister and I went to see one of my favorite authors, Sarah Dessen, kick off her book tour in Boulder.  I finally have an autographed book!  Two, actually.  When the Rockies celebrated their firefighter appreciation night, my whole family (literally) went down to Coors Field for a chilly game.  But we won!  And luckily, it wasn't my only game of the year.  My mom and I went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for the first time, and it was amazing!  Next, we got two new kittens who we named after Prince Harry and Pippa Middleton.  A few days later, they called asking if we would take more.  No problem!  Most of the rest of the month was filled with babies at work and kittens at home.  Heaven.

In June, Cady and I continued our three months of baking adventures, baking things from the cook books I got in Disney World.  Yum!  A few weeks in, we had to send Harry and Pippa back to go onto the adoption floor.  Although Harry hadn't yet been fixed, he was definitely ready to find a permanent home.  My friend Julie and I went to another Rockies game with our friends Austin and Colin, who we started hanging out with again during the summer.  (We know each other from Snowbound 2010.)  On the last Friday of the month, my mom, Rachel, and I volunteered at an amazing event at our church.  Shine was a prom-like party for people in the community with disabilities.  Rachel and I worked games while our mom served snacks.  We both got to see people from high school, which was hands-down the best part.  Although I worked fewer hours than normal in June, and even contemplating finding a new job, I stuck with it and couldn't have been happier.  It really goes to show how quickly you can bond with kids!  I love those babies.

July got off to a slow start.  The Fourth of July was about as exciting as it usually is, which for me isn't very.  I don't know why, but I'm just not a fan of that holiday.  At work we said goodbye to another baby, and got a brand new one, and one moved up from the other room.  Cady and I planned an elaborate feast in order to celebrate the second half of the final Harry Potter film.  It was so much fun to make all of the Hogwarts Express treats and a traditional British dinner.  The feast went off without a hitch and tasted delicious.  The next weekend, we celebrated Rachel's 24th birthday at a hip new restaurant in Denver, Root Down, and then went to the final Harry Potter movie.   At the end of the month, I had to say goodbye to Bea and Lucy, which was really difficult.  They were probably my favorite kittens, dare I say it.  I started babysitting a lot more at the end of the month as well.  And on the last weekend of the month, I went with my Dad's family up to Grand Lake for two days of fun.  We used to go to Grand Lake as an extended family (20 people) every other year, so it brought back a lot of memories.  It was so much fun!

The beginning of August brought my biggest birthday yet: 21.  I had a pretty low-key birthday, going out drinking with some close friends and family, but nothing too crazy.  The next day, we went to my new favorite breakfast place, Snooze in Denver, and a Rockies game.  I also said goodbye to Bea and Lucy, but got a new pair, Shane and Sean right away.  We only had those two for two weeks, and boy were they a handful.  I also got my wisdom teeth pulled in mid-August.  It was kind of a weird experience, and I can definitely notice the lack of teeth in my mouth, but I'm glad the pain has gone away.  I caught up on my Oscars project while I was down from Friday to Tuesday.  I also got a custom blog design in August!  That was big news for my blog.  After my mouth healed and I was relying on pain killers anymore, I got a new pair of kittens: Twig and Leif.  They were pretty young and pretty tiny, but so cute.  They just needed some work with people.  In less exciting news, I also housesat for the first time.  That was definitely an interesting experience, and I would totally do it again!

September brought the start of my favorite time of the year: college football season.  Last fall, I only went to one college football game, and that was Florida-LSU, so I didn't even get to see my Buffs play once!  Unfortunately, their season opener in Hawaii was rather like the rest of the month (and season)...disappointing.  But, through the month of September I got to go back to Folsom Field for a devastating overtime loss to Cal and watch the Buffs get their first win at the new Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver.  Both days were quite fun!  My babysitting side job took off in the month of September.  There wasn't a single weekend that I didn't babysit once, if not twice.  It was nice on the wallet, but a little trying on my social life.  The country remembered the horrible attacks in New York City on the tenth anniversary of September 11th, and it finally resonated with me.  I picked up my old shopping habits once again, which had been on temporary hiatus for about a year, and spent more money in September than July and August combined!  But I did get some great stuff.  I also found out that Leif and Twig had ringworm, but ultimately we decided to take them back and go through their treatment with them.  I also really picked up running in the month of September.  I started running 3-4 times a week and really enjoyed it, surprisingly enough.  I even bought new running shoes at the end of the month.  And on the final day of the month, I jetted off across the country to New York City, once again.

On the first day in October, I woke up in New York.  I spent the day walking around the United States Military Academy at West Point and then going to the Army-Tulane football game.  It was such a fun Saturday, and fulfilled my dream of seeing that campus.  That night, we went back to the city.  It was a fun long weekend, certainly one for the books.  I did a lot of baking in October, including making a pumpkin-shaped chocolate cake.  I also ran my first ever mile, non-stop.  It was definitely one of my greater accomplishments at life.  (Even if it is pathetic that it came at 21.)  I got to see my favorite band, Anberlin, perform for the second time, this time in my home state.  It was such a blast, and as usual, they were amazing in concert.  My family also got wonderful news that my sister and her boyfriend became engaged!  I'm so excited for them!!  And finally, I started my weekly Pinterest Challenge, to help apply some of my many pins to real life.  October ended with Halloween, of course, and once again, I wasn't that excited about the holiday.  Halloween has never been my thing, but I did have fun doing some Halloween crafts with the kids at school and seeing all the little ones in costume!

Nothing notably exciting happened in the beginning of November.  I missed the first CU game of the month (against USC) due to the cold weather, but went to the final home game of the season against Arizona.  The finally got their second win of the season, and everyone in the stadium suffered through 50 MPH winds to watch.  The morning of the Arizona game, I ran my first race in years.  (I think I had only done two total in my lifetime.)  I didn't do as well as I had hoped to, but I was so proud I did it at all!  Six months ago, you wouldn't catch me dead at a race.  The following weekend, I jetted across the country to Chicago with two friends, Colin and Julie, to hang out with our friend Austin.  We had an amazing long weekend sight-seeing, eating, and just hanging out.  It was so much fun!  And the best part was, I got to bust out some of my favorite scarves, which have been out of commission for a long time.  The morning of Thanksgiving, I ran in my second race and definitely didn't do as well as I hoped to, but again, at least I did it.  Now I have a building block to start on for another race in the spring!  I spent Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family, which I haven't done in a long time.  We had three (relatively) new faces at the table with a new husband, a new fiance, and a new girlfriend.  It's so awesome that our family is expanding!  The day after Thanksgiving, I went up to Snowmass Village in the mountains for an evening of relaxation all thanks to LivingSocial coupons.  I finished out the month working and spending time with friends, old and new.  Oh yeah, and I got glasses in November!  I could finally see this beautiful world we live in.

Being home in December was good enough for me!  I was so grateful and blessed to be able to spend time with my family during the holiday season, because I really missed that last year.  Work was a little bit slow due to the holidays, but it gave me more time to spend with family and friends and even at the gym!  I saw a record-breaking seven movies in theaters, but finished no books.  One of the most exciting things about the month was going to my first Broncos game with my friend Nathan.  They lost to the Patriots, but it was still an awesome experience.  I completed a few more goals from my list of 101, most notably making everyone's gifts for Christmas.  That was a lot of fun, and definitely something I want to try again!  It was just such a great holiday season at home.  We got a lot of snow the week before Christmas, I made a gingerbread house, and I got to spend the holidays with my family and all of our traditions.  I couldn't ask for more!  I also went to my first-ever company Christmas party!  So much fun.  As the year started to wind down, I just caught up with old friends who were back in town and spent time with my family.  I'm so excited for the new year!  I can't wait to see what 2012 brings.

Happy New Year!

Ten on Ten :: June 2011

For this month's Ten on Ten I had to work (again).  I also took one extra picture!

 Link up here.

I know the general idea of Ten on Ten is defeated by having 11 pictures, but I miscounted my hours.  It was a very long day.

But I had a wonderful morning, even though I had to be at work 2 hours before normal.

And yes, I work at a day care center, I don't actually have 9 children (6 months - 1 year).

Also, I just had to add that I've totally been loving this song by Robyn "Stars 4Ever".  Listen to it!  Cady and I were totally jamming the other night making dinner & dessert.