Summer of Dreams, 2014

You know that one season of Saved by the Bell when they took a time-out from Bayside High and The Max and went and worked at the club on the beach all summer....?

I could really use one of those alternate reality, amazing, play-like-it's-1999 summers. And hooverdammit, I'm making it happen! Last summer was full of adventure, but more in the "I'm making big scary decisions and everything is a frenzy and I'm moving to California and then job hunt job hunt job hunt." What I want right now is a SUMMER. And you know, go big or go home, so....

Here's what I have to look forward to in the next 4 months:

• Living in northern California (it is eternal paradise weather)
• Working at the Googz (going insanely well, btdubs)
• Traveling to Iceland (28 days! AHHHH!!)
• Many trips to the beach, you better believe it
• My bestest friend's wedding in SLC in June (Bridesmaid Round 14!)
• The Elevate Conference in SoCal with all my blog bestiesz (10 days!)
• The two-story Target that is by the hotel in SoCal (worth mentioning)
• The 4th of July (specific plans TBD, but it is my favorite holiday)
• Training for the Napa Valley Ragnar in September (my 4th Ragnar!)
• Hopefully playing frisbee a lot after wayyy too many months off
• Several trips to Oakland A's games (because baseball = summer)
• Monthly book club meetings with the smartest gals ever (see our books here)
• The following concerts, thanks mostly in part to my country megaticket: Ingrid Michaelson, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Sara Bareilles, Paul McCartney (TBD, fingers crossed!), Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan......and probably more, especially if my favorite band ever decides to go on tour near me (yes PLEASE).

Seriously, I am just tickled with hope for good things to come.

By the time October rolls around, I hope I'm sun-soaked and starry eyed with a whole bucket of good memories and a heart all full of goodness the size of Texas.

Dear Summer: Let's do this.

 (That's my roommate in the blue hat. She's a good egg.)

p.s. Congrats to Tamara S. for winning the Alison Storry necklace giveaway! Check your email, girl :)

The Country MegaTicket 2014

I frequently think that I need to see more country concerts. Get in touch with my roots. Etcetera and so on. I go to a lot of concerts, and the list of ones I've seen is loooong and growing, but it hasn't included nearly as much country as it should. I like all kinds of music, and I'm SUPER into live shows, but I've been neglecting the country arena, apparently.

It all began last night with George Strait and Martina McBride...

And then today, the Country MegaTicket happened to my life.

So between May and October of this year, I will be seeing Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts, Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton....and all the amazing people who open for them! I'm not really into those weekend-festival-type-concerts with a bunch of artists at once...not my thing...but all of these shows spread out over the summer months?? I'm basically excited out of my skull. And stoked about the fun friends I wrangled together (see my legit lingo?) for this summer of magic, magic dreams. I mean, the people watching alone at country concerts is pure gold.

Be still my Texas two-steppin' little heart! BRING ON 2014. #yolo

3:12 to Yuma: Jimmy Eat World concert

Last night I drove 3 hours to a concert in a desert border town.

I affectionately named our trip 3:10 to Yuma but we left 2 minutes late so it became 3:12 to Yuma from thenceforth on out. It may have helped if I had told anyone about the 3:10 plan to begin with. I made them all listen to me read the wikipedia plot summary of the movie instead and put up with all my leaning and reaching to take this train photo:

The point is, I had to see me some Jimmy.

These boys are my boys. There is no other way of putting that. My first concert ever was a Jimmy Eat World show (with the Format opening) when I was 15 at a small pub that was a 2-hour drive away. You could say they (and reckless concert-going) got in my blood at that point. So standing in this crowded little tavern with the band 5 feet away from me, all of us drenched in a humid cloud of sweat ...I know that might not sound appealing to everyone, but it warmed my nostalgic little heart in a big way and made me feel entirely young again. And of course, the music never disappoints.

Jimmy Eat World, you're a scholar and a gentleman.

Also, kudos to this girl for having only met me once at the last AZ Blogger Meetup and being totally game for an impulsive road trip with me and my friends who she didn't know. That's a good kind of person right there. (Also, the May AZ Blogger Meetup is TONIGHT. All I'm saying is, if you come, you could end up on a spontaneous road trip with me someday. BONUS.)

p.s. The movie 3:10 to Yuma was, apparently, named because of the time a train departs. While driving to Yuma last night, I not only a) saw multiple trains, but b) glanced down at the Google map instructions in my lap to realize the trip was predicted to take exactly 3 hours and 10 minutes. Also, c) Christian Bale was in that movie's remake. I feel like my Zen is particularly balanced today.

concert review: brown bird & tobie milford

last night, me and this lady got gussied up and went a-concerting!

on to the music review...

brown bird

think folk music meets indie meets gypsy.

and, seriously, this duo had legit instrumental skills.

fiddle? upright bass? cello? guitar? kickdrums? banjo?

they. killed. it. all.

i wanted to hoe-down the night away!

check them out here.

tobie milford

let me just say...

seriously. so. excellent.

he just fiddled away and threw some sweet vocals in there, 

and i tell you want, i was a happy little clam.

like, i couldn't wipe the silly grin off my face during his music.

check him out here.

p.s. tobie is playing a free show at crescent ballroom in phx on sept. 18

yes...yes you bet my little fiddling heart will be there.

also,

i woke up this morning and my hair looked like this:

apparently it enjoyed the hoe-down, too. my hair partied like it was 1999