"About Time"

There have been several times in the last few weeks when I've opened a new blog post and perhaps even given it a title, and then decided I didn't feel like writing. Chalk it up to exhaustion, busyness, laziness, or feeling overwhelmed, but I hate that I do that. Because when I started this blog, it was to document everyday blessings. And when I decide my life's events aren't worth recording, I am forgetting that purpose.

Last night I went to a movie by myself and it was glorious. I'd done it once before, but the movie was crappy so I was disappointed. But this time was perfection, and I quite like going to movies alone once in awhile. I saw "About Time" and I've decided it's one of my new favorite movies.

I won't give away too much because I really want you to see it, but it talks about taking advantage of each day, appreciating the little things, and noticing the everyday blessings. It's beautiful. 

Here are a few sweet things that have happened over the last week:

1. Friendsgiving

I feel very blessed by the girls I live with this year. Our house is beautiful and fun and full of love. Madison cooked a Thanksgiving meal for us and several other friends. It was delish. 

2. Girls Campaigners

These sweet chicas shopped the dollar store for Operation Christmas Child gifts. I thought we'd get enough to fill one box, but we ended up filling FOUR. It was wonderful.

3. Catching Fire with Maddie

My friends couldn't come to the movie at the last minute because of bad weather, so Maddie joined me for the premiere. Since I lived with her for three weeks, this girl feels like my sister. She is seriously so fun.

4. New Belgium Tour

My uncle Cam and cousin Caitlin and her boyfriend, Pierumberto were up in Fort Collins for a New Belgium tour. They had an extra ticket and invited me to come, because they know how much I love it. It was the best way to begin the weekend!

5. Dream Day 2013

We had the second annual Dream Day yesterday - Abby, Amanda, and me. It really was a dream. We each submitted about 15 personal dreams and then had a draft to pick 15 total, all while listening to John Mayer. We started out at The Bean Cycle, where we had drinks in fun mugs, played cards, browsed the book selection, and listened to Abby read Harry Potter. Then we headed to New Belgium to see their winter decorations and get some beer. After making a stop at the store, being kind to strangers, leaving voicemails, and looking at houses along the way, we came back to my house to cook together. We listened to Frank Sinatra Pandora while we heated up some soup and made bruschetta. We ate and then we sat on the floor with blankets and pillows, and played music together. We finished up Dream Day by writing notes on pretty stationary to send to people we love. It was a beautiful day with my beautiful friends, and I am so thankful.

[photos courtesy of Tupac (my cam), Abby, Amanda, and yours truly]

Home

I can't remember a time when I felt more nostalgic than I did Monday night.

My parents moved from the house that I've lived in since I was 6 years old. I've actually spent the majority of the last few years in other places, but it was still home. I struggled (and failed) to keep it together as I walked through my empty childhood home and hugged my parents and Olivia goodbye (even though I'll see them in a couple weeks). Then driving out of the neighborhood was one of the most bizarre, nostalgic, movie-like things I've ever experienced. The most random and even insignificant memories popped into my head as I drove down my street, by the pool, past the greenbelt and the tennis courts, and out of the neighborhood.

These are some of the people and moments I thought of last night:

• Ashley & I used to try to go down the laundry chute, because that's every child's dream, and we'd get stuck about mid-butt. My friends and I would always send our Barbie's down the laundry chute, though, and that was just about as awesome as going down ourselves would've been. 
• I used to come home from school, get a snack (usually popcorn and ranch or no-bake cookies), and watch Full House every day in elementary school. 
• Back when our basement had hard orange/brown carpet from the 70's, we used to drag out the air mattresses and sleeping bags for sleepovers almost every Friday. On Saturday morning we would roll up the sleeping bags, get dressed in our red and white reversible mesh jerseys and head to our soccer games. 
• Our front yard was the perfect place for sprinkler running, water balloon fighting, and leaf pile jumping. Matthew and his friends also thought it was perfect for airsoft shooting and snowball pelting.
• The driveway is where I got freakin' good with my Skip-It. It's where Brian would tie up my Cinco de Mayo birthday piñata and where we played hours of Around the World, PIG, Bump, and 21. I got so good at adjusting my shot to the bent rim of our driveway hoop that I screwed over any chance at a future basketball career. 
• Olivia and I used to spend so much time at the neighborhood pool in the summertime that our swimsuits would be stretched thin, our eyes would be bloodshot, Olivia's skin would be dry and ashy, and my hair would be green from the chlorine. Those were the days.
• Taylor and I used to play at the greenbelt while her parents played tennis and, even though we were 3 minutes from each of our houses, we would go to the bathroom under the giant pine-trees by the creek because that's more fun. 

I like giving myself permission to reflect on the sweet moments of the past. That's why I love pictures and scrapbooks and blogs...they let us go back and feel blessed all over again by the sweet things we've experienced. The future can seem f-ing scary, but it's also full of excitement and joy and adventure. Thinking about it brings me equal feelings of wanting to crawl under the covers and cry, and wanting to run out into the world with a go-get-'em fist in the air...not always at the same time, but sometimes. But today I will choose joy in the graciousness of uncertainty.

Birthdayyyy

Some people don't love their birthday. Sometimes I think I won't love my birthday because I feel overwhelmed and think I don't want to be the center of attention...but really I do want to be the center of attention for a day. And it's the best! Birthdays are really great and 21st birthdays are really great.

I started my birthday weekend on Friday with a Rockies game...we weren't actually celebrating my birthday but it's fine. Rockies games are fun because they make my heart feel like summer. On Saturday, we watched sweet Grace play in the Jazz Band at the Cinco de Mayo festival - yay! We got some freakin good tacos from the Mexican American vendors. Then we headed to the Soccer Complex to watch her game. That place holds so many memories for me and I was just loving it. It was warm and sunny, the mountains were beautiful, and I got to reminisce on the peak of my athletic career (about 8th grade or so...). I also painted my nails while watching the game.

That night, my awesome parents let me invite a bunch of friends to celebrate with a yummy Cinco de Mayo meal. It was a very random group of friends but they were all people I love and it was so good to be together. After some Scattergories and fire-pit s'mores, we headed out for my first legal drinks! Being 21 is fun.

On Sunday, I had a lovely lunch with my parents and Olivia. They got me the most thoughtful gifts and made me feel so very celebrated and loved. That evening, I went to the Rio with 2 of my very best friends, Katie and Amanda. While we were waiting for a table for three, I looked up and saw Abby standing in front of me. She had told me she was coming home from Indianapolis the day after my birthday, but she and Katie had been scheming to surprised me. I immediately screamed and started bawling. (Right at that moment, a couple of the Camp T directors came over to say hi to me...they felt a little uncomfortable by my display of emotion - oops.) I have the best best friends!

Will stopped by the Dollar Store and got me some Cinco de Mayo birthday accessories - so fun!

After dinner, we hung out at Amanda's house and looked at the Best Friend book that Amanda had made for a class this semester...it's the story of our group of 7 best friends. Abby read it aloud to us (because that's one of her favorite things). What a perfect celebration of friendship and life on my birthday! My heart was full.

To finish off my birthday night, we went to Luscious Nectar, a "juice lounge."I hate the name but it was fun! They serve alcoholic slushies and they were delish.

Birthdays really are the best ever and I have the absolute best friends and family. They love me well and make me feel celebrated, and my life is full because of them.