30 years young

So…I’m not the best at this blogging thing. I’m so sorry it’s been a month since I last wrote an entry. This might not sound real, but honestly, my life is so busy! Most nights I don’t get home until after 9pm and I am so tired that the last thing I think of doing is writing into my blog. For example, last Monday night I met up with Lauren Campbell (picture below)who was in town for business, so her & I went to dinner. Tuesday night I had my final kickball game. Wednesday I had my first volleyball game of the winter season. Thursday night I went with 8 girls to see the play “Blind Date.” Then Friday, I left for Keystone. BUSY! That is how every week is. It’s crazy. However, those who know me well know that I thrive off being busy. I love having things on my calendar. Plus, I know so many wonderful people that being able to see them and hangout with them often is important to me.

Now for the real blog, I’m officially the BIG 3-0! My birthday weekend was absolutely perfect! Honestly, I have the most amazing family and friends. I felt so LOVED all weekend. My birthday week officially began on Monday, October 24 with some my best girlfriends in Denver. We all went to Zengo as a group and had a BLAST! We shared some amazing food, wine and conversation that night. Thank you Mia, Alicia, Rossi & Susan. You girls mean the WORLD to me! I am truly blessed to have such an amazing group of women and friends in my life. You girls are SIMPLY the best! And I laugh the HARDEST with you girls. J

Tuesday, October 25 was kickball night, however I didn’t make the game that night because it was starting to rain/snow and I didn’t want to risk getting sick before my birthday weekend, so I decided just to meet my team at the bar afterwards. They sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me as soon as I walked into the bar and Alicia had made cupcakes! Seriously…LOVE my friends! Not only did Alicia make cupcakes for everyone, but she made an extra BIG Cupcake for me with an “A” on it! How adorable and wonderful is my friend Alicia?!?! She is simply the best!

Then Wednesday, October 26 was a night off for me. I was actually at home and was able to straighten up my house and get things ready for the arrival of my mom & dad, and Sheffield on Thursday! I did get one VERY special surprise in the mail this day…my dear friend Megan sent me the BEST birthday present!!! She sent me this awesome tailgating chair and the movie “Troop Beverly Hills!” She knows me so well and I am so thankful for her friendship. She & I are the friends that always pick up right where we left off. We don’t see each other often, but when we do it’s the most amazing time and it’s like we never missed a beat! Thank you Megan for being such an awesome friend and for making it so easy to love you. I am forever grateful for you! She wasn’t able to attend my birthday festivities because she was in Austin visiting friends, so here is a picture of us from this summer along with the King Size Tailgating chair she got me. Love you girl!

Thursday at work was quite the surprise thanks to my amazing team and team lead! They made me feel extra special and loved with having a singing telegram Cowboy surprise me at our All Hands Meeting. This is the meeting that takes place once a quarter with everyone from my company. It was very fun and I LOVE the singing telegram idea! I will most likely be using that in the future for special events taking place in my friends lives. It was awesome! Now, I can't figure out to post the video so please visit my facebook page on this day and you will see the post. Then after our meeting my team had a special treat! Thanks Suzanne for making this MOST AMAZING cookie cake and finding Blue Bell Birthday cake ice cream for me! It was the most amazing treat ever!

Then Thursday night I picked my mom & dad up from the airport at 6:15ish and we headed to dinner with my Aunt Kristy. We had a wonderful meal at this great new Greek restaurant right by my house called Axios. Sheffield took a taxi and got to the restaurant just as we were finishing dinner, so we headed back to my house to watch the end of the World Series game and chat up.

Then Friday, we did some last minute errands for my birthday dinner and party. Jaran sent me the cutest thing from Happy Cakes (one of my favorite places!)! She sent me 30 sweet treats for my 30^th birthday (picture below)! What a wonderful surprise! I love my Jarany and can’t wait to see her this next weekend in Texas!

Then Friday afternoon I treated my Aunts, mom, Sheffield, and Mia to facials at Simple Skin Denver, Tammie Elliot. I’ve been going to Tammie for about 2 years and she allows her clients to host facial parties where everyone gets 30 minute mini facials and she provides wine. It was the perfect afternoon! Then Friday evening the entire family came to my house for dinner. It was so fun!
Here are some pictures of our facial party. My grandma didn't get a facial, but she came for the girl bonding time. It was so fun!

Saturday the first thing I did was head to Chick-fil-a with Sheffield and Matty Pants for my birthday breakfast! It was, of course, DELICIOUS! I love that place so much. Then we headed to my Aunt Kristy’s house for coffee and to finalize the last minute food prep for my family & close friends birthday dinner.

Then I headed home to rest for a little bit and get ready for my 1^st party! Here are the few pictures I got from the dinner party. It was so fun having the most important people in my life all in one place on my birthday. It was perfect! I BIG THANK YOU to my Uncle John & Mark for hosting my dinner party with YUMMY Happy Cake Cupcakes! Also, a BIG THANK YOU to my Aunt Kristy, Aunt Marlene, Grandma, Mom, and Mia for cooking some of the MOST amazing food! It was absolutely perfect in every way. 

After the dinner party it was time to rush home to get ready for the “party” party. I dressed up as Jessica Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit! It was so fun because I got to wear a party dress the night of my party, which is really what I wanted. I had a wonderful turn out at Strange Brewery that night. I am truly blessed to know so many people in the great city of Denver! It is so fun for me to host parties because it’s one time all my different groups of friends can come together! Plus, I love soicailizing and introducing new awesome friends with the awesome friends I’ve known for a long time. It’s awesome! Here are just a few pictures I have from the night.

 

 A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who came out to help me celebrate my 30th birthday! It meant so much to me that you all were there to help me celebrate. And another BIG THANK YOU to all my friends that sent text messages, called, left voicemails, and sent Facebook birthday wishes. Each one of those birthday messages meant so much to me. THANK YOU! It's the little things in life that I love...a simple "Happy Birthday" was HUGE for me. :)

My first two weeks in my 30th's have been amazing! I have the best friends in the world and the most amazing family. I'm one lucky gal.

My next post will come next week...I promise! I'm going to Texas this weekend for my 1st hunting trip with two of my best friends from Baylor and their sweet husbands and my dad and brother!  I will also get to see my best friend from birth Katy and my niece Katelynn! I'm beyond excited!

Cheers,

Alli

One last picture. Here are the Birthday Koozies I gave my friends as a party gift. I love koozies and I thought my birthday koozies turned out perfectly. Thank you to Koozies.com and Jen for making them! I will defintiely be working with them again. :)

I did it!

My first ever ½ marathon! I lived. I finished. I ran the entire way. That’s right folks, I completed my first ½ marathon and I LOVED it! Wow…what an amazing feeling when crossing that finish line. Though if you would have asked me at around mile 9 how I felt, I would have said “this kind-of sucks and I want to stop.” But I didn’t! I just kept running and mentally pushed through it. That is the BIGGEST thing for me…mentally telling myself “Alli, you can do this. Just keep running. You got this girl!” Yes, I talked to myself in my mind more than once today. J It worked though.

The day started off with my 5:15am wakeup call from my girl, Susan. She was at my house at 6:10am. Matty Pants (my roommate) dropped us off at 6:30am. We were running by 7:20ish. Our little running team was me, Susan, Rossi & Sarah. We stayed together the first mile and Sarah took the lead. Susan stayed with Rossi & I for about another mile and then took off to catch up with Sarah. Rossi & I stuck together until mile 10, and then she picked up her pace. I was happy with my pace and didn’t feel the need to speed up or hold anyone back. J I finished (I will have final race results in the next day or two) in roughly 2 hours and 40 minutes. My miles got slower in mile 9 through 11 as that was definitely the hardest part for me, but I picked up my pace BIG time in mile 12. I was ready to finish!

Here are some pictures of the day.

Right before we were starting...

Post Race...

My cheerleaders! Thanks to Megan, Aunt Kristy, Mama & Alicia for coming to cheer me on at the finish! That meant more to me than you will EVER know! A special thanks to Mama & Alicia for bring me Chick-fil-a! What a wonderful and perfect surprise.Love you!

 The Javernick Cheering Crew!

 The Runners!

 Watch out world...we are some tough ladies! Well, Rossi, Sarah & I...I guess Susan was to good to flex her arm muscels.

 Individual portraits with the #1 finger!

 My girls Rossi & Susan...thanks for the encouragement and all the training! Couldn't have done this without you ladies.

 And one final picture of the Javernicks. Aren't they all beautiful girls??!?! I sure think so. :)

I would like to leave you with a final thought. One thing I learned about myself during the training and the race today...I am a strong woman! Sure, I've always thought of myself as a strong woman, but after today I know I am!  I've never been a "runner/endurance athlete," rather just athletic and good at sports, but after today I know I am more of an endurance athlete. I can do anything I put my mind too. Totally cliché , but also very true. I encourage you to find something you typically wouldn't consider doing and do it! At least once. At the end, you might surprise yourself and if not, you learn a lot about yourself along the way. :)

An a EXTRA thank you to my Aunt Kristy for hosting a family dinner tonight! The food was amazing (like always!) and it was wonderful getting to spend a few hours with my Grandma, Uncle John, Mark & Anten. I have the most amazing family in the world. :)

Now, off to bed. It's been a long day and I am so tired. At least I have tomorrow off. The joys of working for the US Government! Oh and I have a first date tomorrow night.

Cheers,

Alli

Falling Into Fall

(This blog turned out longer than I was expecting. I’m so sorry! I need to write more often because I obviously have a lot on my mind these days.)

The last few weeks for me have been full of surprises and changes. I jokingly say “it’s my mini mid-life crisis since I turn 30 in a few short weeks.” I turn 30…new decade, new adventures, new dating bracket? It’s crazy to think I am 30 years old or I guess I feel more comfortable saying 30 years young. I remember turning 20 and that seems like it was yesterday. I remember turning 23 and moving to Colorado! I remember turning 26, which has been the “hardest” birthday for me thus far. I guess because I knew I would be 30 in 4 years! Well, those 4 years flew by! Time truly does fly when you are having fun and when you get older! Given that, I feel like I am truly “falling into fall” this year. 2011 has been one of the BEST years on record for me and I can’t wait to see what 2012 holds for me!

On September 17, I was finally able to go see my hairdresser for a much needed haircut and color. It’s hard to 1) get onto Rochelle calendar because she is the BEST hairdresser in the state (my opinion!) 2) she is located in Boulder, which finding time to make it to Boulder is hard enough, but especially hard when working with Rochelle schedule. Regardless, I was excited to spend the few hours with Rochelle just catching up on life. We have become friends the past 4 years I’ve been going to her. Anyway, though I don’t color my hair often (maybe once a year) I was feeling like a new color was definitely needed. Rochelle suggested a red like Drew Barrymore’s. And surprisingly enough, I thought it would look great on me, so we went for it. It turned out fabulous in my opinion. It’s the perfect color red for my skin tone. Plus, it’s hiding the few gray hairs that are coming in. L Sadly enough. Does this mean coloring my hair is going to become a regular thing? Bummer, I’m at that age.

The hair was the first BIG thing! Then a week later I decide it was time to end things with my “Man Friend” (I will keep him nameless though some of you know who I’m referring too. This is out of respect of him). Though he is a great guy he just isn’t the guy for me. It’s interesting being single at this age. I look at dating completely different than I ever did in my early 20’s. In my early 20’s I wanted to have fun, be free, independent, and not find a husband. Marriage was honestly the last thing on my mind. I loved (and still love) my freedom to do what I want, when I want! (Oh and did I mention I can shop and spend MY money the way I want without “checking-in” with a husband?!?! its awesome and I think I will miss that most if and when I get married!!) Sure in my early to mid 20’s I dated guys, but I wasn’t wanting/looking for anything serious, so the guys I dated were honestly more friends than anything. I was okay with this during that time. 

Since dating the “man friend” I have learned one VERY important thing about me…I’m ready for something serious when dating someone. SCARY thought! I am finally ready to find that special someone to start a new adventure with. And maybe start a family? Who knows what’s in store for me, but I honestly feel like I’m ready to start the next phase of my life. Maybe it’s not a husband or kids, but rather a new career?  (PS. I really want to do real estate…I have the book, I just need to study! My social calendar is so busy that I don’t have time to study though. Lame excuse, but it’s true.) 

Life is so funny sometimes. If you would have asked me at age 20 where I would be at 30, I would have said “married with a baby or a baby on the way.” Funny how life takes you in different directions and takes you down different paths you would have not else thought of. When I was growing up I remember thinking “gosh, my mom and dad were so ‘old’ when they had me.” WHAT?!?!! They were only 31 and 33 when I was born! They were, in fact, young. Actually, very young! I don’t feel 30 and most the time act 30. I love my life and would not change a thing about it.

Given where I’m at in life I need to give a SHOUT out to my girlfriends. Each one of you!  My life would NOT be nearly has awesome as it is without each one of you! In fact, I feel sorry for any guy that I date because he will have to share with my girls and get the “seal of approval” from each one of you. Each of you is my rock and keeps my life filled with laughter and fun. You are also the ones that know what I’m going through when I am struggling. You are the first ones by my side when I break up with a guy and the first ones to get excited when I have a date with a new guy. You tell me on a daily/weekly basis that you love me. God has truly blessed me with some of the most amazing friends on this Earth. Though some of them are married and have babies they still find time for me! How lucky am I?!?! They consider me and our friendship important enough to make time for me with a husband and a baby. I would say that is love. J

I’m going to leave you all with a quote I came across several months ago. I shared with a few of girls because I liked it so much and I see this to be true, even though I don’t have a boyfriend or husband. My girls have always been there, while all the men I’ve dated have let me down. I know the right guy is out there. Maybe he is married to the wrong woman right now. Maybe he is still finding himself and figuring out what he wants. Maybe he is making tons of money and has had the time to find me yet. J I said it ladies…I wouldn’t mind having a sugar daddy. ;)

"True friends are those who will always rally round when you are in trouble, or sick, or you need a good laugh or a new dress or even just to download your day. Your friends are there when you need them. Guaranteed. But with your partner, you just never can tell."

Lastly, I bought myself a new car! She is very pretty. I had been looking at Ford Edge’s for a few months and the 2011 got some of the best reviews from consumers and experts, so I decided I wanted one! Plus, my Passat had been giving me so much trouble, I thought what the heck. Though having a car payment will be an adjustment for me, but it’s an adjustment I am willing to have to have a working car. Her name is Fancy…Fancy the Ford.

Here are some pictures of the past few weeks and the new car and the fall colors near Mount Evans. I love Fall!

One of my favorite little girl's sent me the best picture the other day! Love you so much Rory girl!

Isn't she the cutest thing?!??! Yup...she sure is and her parents are easily the coolest people I know. Love you Molly & Jesse.

Thanks to everyone that is reading my blog. I hope you find it interesting and honest. I truly am writing from the heart. :)

Love,

Alli