25 Memories I will not forget

That awkward moment when your legs are covered in mud from going on a run in the rain and your towels are sopping wet and you need to shower..... or that moment when you realize your refrigerator is growing mold because it has been turned off.... or your roommates are all discussing if we should give points to our kids for writing the date and their names on their papers during exam week because so many have failed their exams. Welcome to Tuesday.

With Saturday being my 25th birthday I am going to give my top 25 memories of the past year (not limited to anything.... I am quite certain I could go on for days....). More top 25 things are going to be created this week. We are in exam week. We leave school early and the rain continues..... we have a lot of extra time. Enjoy my top 25 memories....

1. Rome Italy (July)... eating at the same restaurant every night, because we loved it so. Walking amongst history. Watching Gladiator in our apartment the very day we went to the Coliseum. The Vatican. The Sistine Chapel. Taking foursome pictures....

2. Oldies concerts at Red Rocks for James Taylor. Not much better than drinking champagne in the parking lot with your best friend only weeks before you both are moving from Colorado. Then the following week we went to see Kenny Loggins and sang "Celebrate me Home" under the Colorado sky representing the 20s age group with what appeared to be a crowd exclusively of our parents age.

3. Savannah Georgia for Memorial Day weekend. A wedding of two old friends and celebrating with many of my dearest friends that date to elementary school. Wearing ponchos in the bar during a hurricane coming. Driving from Atlanta to Savannah with my Stefanie through the night. Wet Willies... (no explanation needed)

4. Palisade Colorado.... Rachel's Bachelorette weekend, wine tasting, bike riding, laying by the pool and sharing in good conversation and becoming so close to get a discounted limousine tour.

5. Denver Derby Party... Honoring my old Kentucky home by wearing my derby hat and celebrating on the streets of Denver.

6. Aspen, Colorado weekend in August... Two hours of yoga with my mom followed by an all day hike with my Dad, David Dennison, and Vince Cain. Being in the mountains. Eating yummy food. Being with my parents.

7. Evansville Indiana.... last minute trip in August to see my Aunt and Uncle, my cousins and their precious babies and Brittany and Josh. Eating lots of snacks... going on a run with my cousins. Yoga with Leslie on the same dock we used to fish on when I was itty bitty. Such a good weekend.

8. Washington Park runs... my favorite park in Denver.. Running the loop. Watching all the people. Pretending to race the person in front of me. Secretly they have no idea I am trash talking about how I am going to kick their .......

9. Christmas 2011 in Texas. Eating at Dossers... (Best barbecue next to my parents house) . Playing with Rudy on his first Christmas. Playing cards as a family...

10. Skiing in Vail and Beaver Creek in January. Freezing cold but Jon, Daniel and I paid for our lift tickets and by golly we were going to ski every moment.

11. Florence, Italy (July)... riding bikes with bottles of wine and our picnic attached. Eating gelato. Drinking wine in the middle of site seeing. Having a sunset picnic on the Piazza de Michelangelo, watching as Mark shattered the red wine bottle down the steps.

12. Munich (July)....  Exploring Cinderella's castle, drinking beer, and eating Bavarian food. Bike tour through the city. Beer hall hopping. Delicious beer cheese and giant pretzels for dinner.

13. My sister visiting Denver in March. Shopping, eating and hiking. Highlights include my sister and Meg deciding to book a hotel downtown for the night in the city. Impromptu girls night out.

14. Book Club.. my book club in Denver.. Although it seems it was just beginning, only three books in. I so enjoyed spending evenings laughing and debating the books. But mostly talking about nonsense.

15. Vail, Colorado... Rachel and Jameson's wedding weekend. Staying with friends from college in East Vail. Dancing the night away unexpectedly inside because of a storm. Making cinnamon rolls in our condo and an early morning Starbucks run with Erin Z like old times on the morning of the wedding. Live music dancing the night before the wedding.

16. Restaurant Week Group happy hour turned dinner. Meeting at Williams and Graham for happy hour to then go to Lola to laugh and talk more than I had ever had in a long time. Sure miss you guys (Erin Swaney, Rachel, Katie, Jess, Ashley)

17. Meg Day and I checking ourselves in to the beach in Puerto Rico on Facebook... all the while we are sitting in our cubicles at work. Meg then decided to upload a photo of the beach to make our little lie a bit more believable. Laughing hysterically as everyone commented on their jealousy of our trip. Little did they know we were in Aurora, Colorado at work. (thank you facebook for the humor)

18. California for my cousins wedding end of August being in Southern California with my family.  Riding beach cruisers with Sammi D and my parents over to the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Having both sides of my family together in one place.

19. Lola (restaurant Denver).. our spot at the corner of the bar. The restaurant/ bar we went to after work, on Sundays after church and on any night reason to show up. The best guacamole. The best two dollar tacos and the very very best margaritas.

20. Celebrating my grandfathers life. Some of my last memories with him are sitting with him as he watched golf and laughing at his chocolate collection next to his bed or how he would steal salt packets from the dining room at the rehabilitation center because they said he ate it too much. (My mom and her sisters had a private salt stash for him.)

21. Easter in Texas with my parents. Working out with my dad and his personal trainer... followed by protein smoothies. Riding in the golf cart and holding on for dear life as he tries to break the world record for the quickest 18 holes ever. Walking with my mom in the neighborhood. Reading all of the People magazines for the last year. (my mom is kind enough to keep them for when my sister and I come so we can catch up)

22. Laying by the pool at my old apartment. Cleaning out all the food and drinks in my house before I left the country for the last time. Sonic drinks, iced coffees, candy and the sun.

23. Seeing Brittany and Christie Lee in Louisville last May, eating lots of dips and drinking one too many of the many famous LeEtta cocktails. An Impromptu spending the night. This trip as well was a surprise celebration of Stefanie graduating college. So glad to be there as she walked across the stage.

24. Quitting my job and deciding to move to Honduras... This moment is one of the many highlights if not the highlight. I am so glad to be here. I am grateful for my time in Colorado and at my previous job but feel very lucky to be in Honduras.

25. This place. Honduras. Right now being here. Teaching 2nd grade. My roommates. This place is in the top 25 too.

This coming year has a lot to live up too...... looking forward to it. Night.