September 6, 2009 was a Sunday. It was the first Sunday in years that I was required to wake up at 6:00 in the morning. I normally dread getting up any time before noon, but this time I slammed my hand down on my alarm clock and sprang out of bed to take a shower. I was so excited about that day that I had picked my outfit the night before and put it in my bathroom, with a towel, so I wouldn't...

I woke up this morning without my voice. I was drowsy, aching, and I reeked like a rock show. Then, it all flooded back.Last night, I waited for my older sister Angie and her husband Joe to pick me up to go to the Alltel Center in downtown Mankato, about 2 miles from my house. We waited in the below-freezing cold for ages until the doors opened, eagerly anticipating the warmth of the building's...

Our lives are full of mystery. Like, is a poem never written down still a poem? If a tree falls in a forest with nobody around to hear it, does it make a sound? How did my pajama pants end up in my underwear drawer? How about this one: Where does the Golden Rule go after elementary school?Remember the Golden Rule? Of course you do, we all do. "Treat others the way you would like to be treated." We...

Since it's after midnight, technically, I saw them last night. I went to Myth, a night club in St. Paul, Minnesota. I was in the third row. The concert didn't start on time, but then again, they never do. It's just part of going to concerts. They opened with "Break Away," but I don't remember the order of the rest of the set. It gets kind of fuzzy after that with all the pushy fangirls and...

Hey, so I went to the Vans Warped Tour stop in Canterbury Park, Shakopee, Minnesota today. It was only about a 45-minute drive from where I live in Kato. My amazing older sister came along with me.Our day started with a nearly 2-hour wait in line to get in the gate. As soon as we were there, we headed over to the merch booth for The Academy Is... and I bought a tote. It came in handy, because we...