my NEEDTOBREATHE inspired trip part 4

It was our last day staying in the heart of Charleston, and our last day with Deah and Ashleigh. We got up and checked out of our hotel, and decided to have one last breakfast together at Toast. This was the only real southern breakfast I got to have, given my sleeping patterns...haha. I had a yummy omelet and breakfast grits...we reminisced about all the adventures we had over the last few days, whined about the fact that it was over, and joked about the silly things we said and did. Finally Deah and Ashleigh headed back to their lives in North Carolina, and Stephanie and I set out to continue being classic tourists! We purchased tickets for a carriage ride and walked through the market on our way over. We ended up on a carriage with several other west coasters, and with a chatty horse named Larry. It was nice to be driven around parts of the city where we had not been yet and to get some history. Social standing is still important in this place, and some of the old laws still stand. We heard about a man who was being tried for shooting a man and was using the old law regarding dueling. We learned about the privacy doors that open to open porches. Years back, if the door was open, you could come in. If shut and you looked onto the porch, you could be challenged to a duel. We saw beautiful homes with porches and rockers and decorated with American flags. I continued to fall in love with Charleston...

We finished our ride and walked back through the market. We saw intricate sweet grass baskets, and I settled on buying a small bouquet of flowers made of sweet grass. We bought Katie's gift there. We then headed out to Mt. Pleasant to go to Boone Plantation. I got to drive over the coolest bridge! The road leading up to the house is about a mile long lined with live oaks that were planted in 1743. Absolutely breathtaking. The house was fairly simple with pieces from various eras in history, as it had been rebuilt at some point. It has two gardens, one on each side of the house, filled with an array of beautiful flowers. On site stand nine original slave quarters, each containing bits of history. It was incredible to stand on such historic land, and I was grateful to be reminded of a time that we should never, ever return to. I have a little bit of history nerd running through my veins, and the Civil War time period is probably one of my favorites. I was really glad to be able to see this place. We spent about 3 hours there, and finally got really hungry...so we headed to our hotel with the intention to find something to eat. The hotel recommended the place next door, and I ordered shrimp n' grits! It was fantastic. No regrets there...

After filling our tummies with yet another amazing southern meal, Steph and I decided there was just enough daylight to head back into Charleston to check out the Battery. There was a gorgeous little park lined with cannons, lampposts, and mansions. It was quite romantic...haha, but since I was there with Steph, we just had fun taking pictures. We got a random lady to take a couple of non-myspace photos of us, and enjoyed the surroundings. I had a jones for some ice cream, so we went on a hunt for a shop. We managed to find one near the market after driving around a bit. I got ice cream that had the name "Charleston" in it. Steph marveled at my ability to scarf it down as I drove us back over the bridge...seriously, if you don't want ice cream to spill on you, you have to eat it fast! Especially if you are driving! We got back to the hotel, exhausted from our full day, and Steph found 24 for me on tv. Eventually we went to sleep, sadly wishing the next day wasn't our last.

With checkout at 11, we got up in time to grab some free continental breakfast (gotta love it!), and pack things up. I, despite thinking of it earlier in the morning, left my phone charger...boooo....and didn't realize it until we hit Charlotte! But before that happened, we lathered on our sunscreen and headed to Isle of Palms for my first trip ever to the Atlantic Ocean!!! I was greatly impressed with the east coast beach. Having grown up in CA, where beaches abound, I had only been to one other beach that had impressed me more than a CA beach, and that was in Hawaii. I have to give it to Isle of Palms...they have the beaches near SLO beat! Why? The sand is softer and the water is warmer! I could actually swim in it if I so desired. Given that I didn't have a hotel to go change in anymore, I opted not to get all the way in, but man, I was tempted. Steph and I played in the ocean for a bit, and then I got a chance to read some scripture on the beach. It was sooooo relaxing. After about an hour, we perused the local shops and finished up our souvenir shopping. With a heavy heart, we left the Charleston area around 2pm. Spotting a Cracker Barrel, we determined to get one last good southern meal in. I went out with a bang and ordered the sampler platter...with a sweet tea. :) I think I ate only 1/3 of the plate...and was schooled on the game that sits at each Cracker Barrel table. I could not figure out how leave less than three pegs! I blame the food coma. As we walked through the general store there, the cashier convinced me to buy some moon pies for the road, and we eventually made our way back to Charlotte while listening to Matt Hires' CD. :) Steph fell asleep...haha.


It began to rain as we got closer, and I thanked God that he held off the rain until the end of the trip. It had been a perfect 70 degrees in Isle of Palms...ahhh.... We made it to the wonderful Hyatt hotel, and they again showed us how incredibly hospitable they are. The lady at the front desk shared with us that we could drop off our rental car that night and take the shuttle in the morning instead of worrying about that in the morning. We decided to do that, and order pizza from the road while we did it. We got in the car and remembered we needed gas! We called the hotel, who called the shuttle driver who was leading us, and he led us to a gas station before we returned the car. Our hero! He was awesome, and fun to talk with on the way back. He even helped me find plates for our pizza which came just in time for a couple of pretty hungry girls. I realized I had left my phone charger at the hotel in Mt. Pleasant, and bless them, they said they'd mail it to me. (However, to date, this has not occurred. I hope they didn't lie.) I did not worry too much, I had a friend say she had an extra for me to have when I got home! We used the hotel's computer to get ourselves checked in for our flight, and off to bed we went...we had an early morning flight that we weren't really looking forward to.

Up at an hour that equated to 1am Pacific Standard Time...but 4am to us at that time, we stumbled about and got ready for our shuttle to take us to the airport. I could not stay awake on our flight to Memphis...but I didn't really sleep either. If one could win at the bobble head sleeping contest, it would have been me. I'd fall asleep, and then my head would bobble and I'd wake myself up. Or I'd realize my mouth was open (how attractive...) and wake up. I think I drank 3 diet cokes and 2 coffees before our flight eventually made it to LA at 11am (or 2pm according to the other time zone we blasted from on the time machine). Already a long day behind us, we had a long drive ahead of us. We made it though, and I came back convinced I want to go back. It's too bad the Carolinas are so far away...but I will return. THE END.

my NEEDTOBREATHE inspired trip part 3

After staying up so late on Saturday night, we found it difficult to get up early on Sunday morning...which is probably my one regret. I wish we would have found a church to attend while there, but unfortunately we did not. :( Steph and I got up in time to get ready and find somewhere to eat for lunch. Since we were staying in the heart of downtown, we were within walking distance of lots of places to shop at and eat. We, of course, being tourists acted the part and began a massive photo shoot of the town as we went about! I loved how Charleston has lampposts lining its streets and how there is a church on every corner. I also loved that many of the stores were closed because it was "God's day". It is on my heart to see more places like that. We had no idea where to eat, but decided to go to the closest, most decent place we could find. That place ended up being Jim and Nick's...the home of the best mac n' cheese and cornbread I have ever tasted! I couldn't finish my plate of food, which made my taste buds very sad...haha. (I am thinking that someone needs to open a southern food restaurant here.) It is safe to say we pretty much rolled out of that place with very happy tummies and continued to walk around downtown. We were on the hunt for gifts for a few people, and wanted to see the sights.

We came across a convenience store, where I knew I needed to pick up a bag of cheetos to add to the wet nap and note for Joe. (long story short- Joe's fave midnight snack is cheetos, but he said that he doesn't like to eat them late at night in his bunk because of the orange-y finger issue...welllll, I thought if he had a wet nap to go with it, it would be the PERFECT midnight snack!) I also bought a bottle of Cheerwine (their site is hilarious!) as a good friend Kyle had told me so much about it. Cheerwine is yummy. :) Steph and I continued on our journey through Chuck Town, and found ourselves across the street from a place called Cupcake. Yes, it was a store completely dedicated to cupcakes! And yes, we went inside and had one. Each. Hee hee...as we left even more happy than we started, we walked by the place where Deah and Ashleigh were eating their lunch! And as we were talking, we heard this thunderous ROOOOAAARRRRR...it was the Blue Angels!!! I had not seen them since I was much younger and my dad used to take me to the air shows. Deah was a little terrified, but came out to see them with us. They went back in to finish their lunch, and Steph and I spent the next 30 minutes looking for them and trying to get some good pictures! During this time, we had a woman who turned out to be an attorney join us and compliment me on my dress. I found it strange that she was an attorney....she just seemed too nice! Hah!

We kept walking until we knew we were close enough to the Piggly Wiggly that we saw on our way into town. I had to go! We knew we needed sunscreen and I wanted to buy more Cheerwine to take home with me, so we did a little shopping. Unfortunately, we didn't think about the long walk we had...so we sucked it up and each carried a bag. We got back to the hotel to find Deah and Ashleigh napping, so we detoured to Toast, the restaurant at our hotel. We figured we might as well grab dinner before the show. I ordered a fried green tomato BLT and a half and half sweet tea. Yummers! Then we decided that Steph needed to order the turtle cheesecake because A) our waiter practically drooled when he described it and B) she had been saying cheesecake every time she meant to say cheesesteak. We did not regret this decision one bit. I think it may have been the best I have ever had. We made friends with a couple from New York who told me I had a "perfect" southern accent...while I did not wholly agree, I had picked up some of the accent thanks to so much time with Deah. Haha. Deah says I did not have a southern accent. She's probably right. But it was funny nevertheless.

It was time to finish up and get ready for the last (sigh) concert of this trip. I wore my adorable new dress with my boots, and was ready to go. When we headed to the venue, Deah spotted David on the phone, and took a picture from across the street...hee hee. We grabbed Ashleigh some "dinner"- a cookie and green tea, and walked back to the venue to get in line. This time, Steph brought baby Shrek with her so that she could take a picture with NEEDTOBREATHE with him. The bouncers have to check our bags and when they got to hers, they said, no joke, "I'm not even gonna ask..." I laughed so hard! Since we were doing a meet and greet that night, we did not have high hopes for a good spot but in hopes of a repeat performance at the bar, we strategically planted ourselves there. Ashleigh held our spot. Deah and I went to find and meet Valoree, another Breather we know. We joked with her friends about jumping in front of them, because she was pretty close to the front. We met a few other people as well. Eventually we made our rounds back to the bar for the show to start. It wasn't long before it was time to go to the meet and greet. There were less people at this one, but somehow it amounted to a much shorter one. This was sad, and made me glad I did the first one!

This time our group had me, Deah, Julie, Steph, Kasey, Laura, Julie's brother, and another girl. We were the second group, which was our second mistake...I think we got the shorter time slot! Patrick was trying to hurry us along...I ended up only talking to Joe this time! He smiled as we walked up and asked us how our day was in Charleston. I asked him where they have been hiding all of this amazing food! He laughed as I told him about the mac n' cheese, cornbread, etc. of the day. We talked about CA having good food too, but different. He told us he had to get used to avocados, as they reminded him of snot. (LOL) I then gave him the cheetos...I almost didn't, it seemed quite the cheesy thing to do (ha ha, cheesy...). I explained the scenario I explained above and told him I thought it would be funny. He looked at them, all labeled with a "Perfect Midnight Snack" label and all, then looked at me and said, "That's really thoughtful..." Honestly, I hope he didn't think it was weird. He tossed them to Jenna to hold, and that was embarrassing...I explained that I didn't put my number on it or anything...and Jenna said "wouldn't be the first time..." We lined up for pictures, and when it was Steph's turn, she prefaces the baby Shrek appearance by saying, "Don't laugh, it's for my boyfriend!" I am taking the picture, saying "don't worry, I am laughing for you!" Seth looks absolutely horrified, and Bear and Joe seemed to have a good sense of humor about it. This picture is probably my favorite from the trip in terms of hilarity! Bo was not in the picture because he had to run off and go play mandolin with Will Hoge.


Our meet and greet ended and we were escorted back into the venue. Deah went to hang at the sound booth with Tyler (which was great because then she gave me the scoop on the set list so I was ready to record SWEET TALKER when they surprised us with it!!!), and Steph and I joined Ashleigh. One last amazing show, and the time for the acoustic part came. Of course, they decided to switch locations...FAIL! We were pretty close though, but were very sad that we did not plan that out as well as we hoped. Instead of Bo leading "Won't Turn Back", Bear led it acoustically and sang it over the crowd. I had not actually heard Bear sing it...short of on the CD! Bo sang it the whole tour this time, and in San Fran when I had gone. I loved it, what a sweet ending to the shows for me. Again, the vocals of the whole group were smokin'!

This time, we hung out a little longer to mingle with some new friends, including Julie and Valoree. It was so fun to meet these girls! I also joined the Respirators for another picture, because this night we had six of us plus the Breather Prez...it was historic! And we represented coast to coast :) I enjoyed talking with Lindsey and Susan as they were leaving, and then Jenna for a bit more. I went up and met Matt Hires, and in true nerd fashion, forgot that Steph had already met him and tried to introduce them! Doh! Haha... It was getting late, and we were trying to figure out what we were doing, so we went outside. Deah and Ashleigh went over to talk to Bear, who was standing outside talking with someone else. Steph and I waited on the side. We then decided to go to AC's, and on the way, Deah saw David. She decided to go talk to him, and ended up accomplishing her goal of shaking the shaker. She actually got to shake both, as David had them in hand! She was overjoyed at this!

We wandered over to AC's and I ordered a drink. I was pretty tired, so when I was done, I was done. They had these nifty bike taxis called rickshaws outside the bar, and Steph and I decided it was well worth the $9 for the lift back to the hotel. Our driver was great...told us stories of how he ended up in Charleston and fell in love with it, much like us. We were thrilled not to walk and enjoyed the ride. We climbed into bed for the last night of our stay in downtown Charleston...so sad! Here ends day 3...

my NEEDTOBREATHE inspired trip part 2

After a glorious night of restful sleep in our wonderful hotel, Stephanie, Ashleigh and I get up and pack up to hit the road to Charleston. We needed to wait for Deah to come and pick up Ashleigh so she would not have to drive alone, PLUS we were hungry, so we went hunting for lunch. I am so glad we chose Bojangles to eat at. Seriously the best biscuits ever...the kind that melt a little in your mouth. It is also where I experienced the fullness of sweet tea for the first time on this trip. I decided that I liked it, but needed to do it half and half style. I continued that trend for the rest of the trip. I enjoyed my chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and biscuit, and the girls got biscuit sandwiches. We finished up, took a few silly pictures, and went back to the hotel to rendezvous with Deah. It was Charleston or BUST.

Stephanie and I found ridiculous music to dance to and ate lots of margarita flavored jelly beans as we cruised on down to the city that would, indeed, capture my heart. The highway was lined with lush green trees the whole way down. Billboards talked more about God and his heart than almost anything else, except food. I knew I was in a different place, and I loved it. With only one stop, we made it to Charleston in record time...only to sit in 25 minutes of traffic in the city because of the air show that was going on. We got to our hotel, laughed at how small the beds were, and began to quickly get ready...we were determined to get front row! Deah and Ashleigh joined us, and we grabbed a quick bite to eat to go at AC's bar & grill. The bartender was pretty grumpy, but he proudly showed us his display of champagnes...all called Miller High Life. Hah. We rushed over to the ever growing line in front of the venue and ate our food. Julie was in line ahead of us, so Deah and I went to find her! We chatted for a bit and watched the line grow. Eventually it was time to be let in! Julie, Stephanie and I determined to get up to the front, and I was not going to move! Deah and Ashleigh had their meet and greet that night, so they went off to do that while we enjoyed the opening acts- Matt Hires and Will Hoge.

We let Jen Gill's two oldest kids stand in front of us and in between the acts we talked about how excited they were and what they wanted to be when they grew up and what they did for fun. They were a fun addition to our group. I updated facebook on my location, and we eventually got to the main act- NEEDTOBREATHE! I was so looking forward to this, because I had never seen them from front row, and that in itself is an experience! Stephanie and I took so many pictures and videos, each taking time off to enjoy the show too. You can tell that the guys love what they do. Bear sings with such passion...it almost makes me swoon. Bo can't sit still at all and can be found dancing back and forth across the stage. He loves to engage the audience. Seth generally can be found chewing gum, bobbing his head and making the girls all excited. He is trying out a few new dance moves though. David, who usually comes across as the cool guy who plays piano, was known to burst out in passionate dance behind that keyboard. It was awesome. And Joe...he rocked those drums like no other, and melted me with his deep bass. SIGH. I think both Deah and I had to fan ourselves during the breakdown in "Stones Under Rushing Water"...the vocals were insane! And if you know me at all, I am a sucker for good vocals. In fact, I am downright picky about vocals. They made me swoon, I tell ya! For lots and lots of pictures of our experience in front row, go here...

As the show began to wind down, Bear told the audience that they were moving over to the bar to do their final song- an acoustic version of "Washed by the Water". Ashleigh was not up front with us during the show, but instead had parked herself near the bar...so the lucky duck pretty much was standing right in front of Joe! I couldn't be too jealous, because I had experienced 12 or so songs from the closest spot possible, but I was a little...

The show ended and people began to mingle. I found my way to the other Respirators at the show, including Jenna, Breather Prez, and introduced myself. We got a picture together and chatted about the trip so far. I bought the photo book that Susan had made, which is incredible, by the way. The crowd began to thin out more, and Deah and Ashleigh decided to stay out for a while. Steph and I were ready to head back to the hotel, so we did. Somehow, we had lost contact with Julie :( As we were leaving the venue, I look over and spot Joe! I blurted out "hey Joe!" in a high pitched girly voice, and Steph says a similar thing in a completely normal voice. Yes, I am a total nerd. I fully expected Joe to wave, say hello and go on his merry way, as they had just played an off the hook show! But he didn't...bless him, he walked right up to us and said "Hey ladies, how are you liking Charleston so far?" We shared that we hadn't had much of a chance to see Charleston so far, but that we were in love with the food...haha. I told him the show was crazy good, and then asked him about some places to eat. He gave us some good ideas, and I asked him specifically about his favorite food- shrimp n' grits. He shared that it's hard to find a place that doesn't make good shrimp n' grits. After that he said he needed to go, and we thanked him and walked back to the hotel...loved that unplanned meet and greet :) Steph and I stayed up for another hour looking at all of our pictures and videos before winding down around 2am. At the hotel, Steph and I realized that in all of the excitement of running into Joe, we forgot the name of the one place to eat that he specifically mentioned...so sad! Thus ends Day 2...stay tuned!

my NEEDTOBREATHE inspired trip part 1

Hahaha, I love the double meaning of the title of this post. I really did need a vacation, some time away, and a little adventure...I needed to breathe. But at the same time, my trip to North and South Carolina truly was inspired by my favorite band, NEEDTOBREATHE, and a new friend named Deah. Rewind to December-ish when Deah and I were becoming friends through various Need related sites, and she realized I had not been to the east coast. Thus came the prompt, "You should come to Charleston for a home show!" This became a little seed planted that once watered by looking at flight prices and acquiring a friend to come with me bloomed quickly. By January, it was decided that I was going to spend about a week in the Carolinas and see three Need shows, two of which were in their home town of Charleston. I was beyond excited, and well, anxious for the next three months to come so I could GO!

Fast forward to last week...Stephanie and I are all packed and ready to embark on this long anticipated trip. I have all my outfits picked out, the Cheetos (aka perfect midnight snack) ready for Joe, and the headband for Bo's wife. We make the drive to LAX, and get there 4 hours early! It was a late night flight, so we were anxious to get on the plane so we could try and sleep...and because of that, this happened... Eventually we got on the plane, and began the time warp three hours ahead of SLO time to the far away land of the Carolinas. Neither of us slept well, and I am not a happy camper when I don't sleep. I tried to take a nap in the Atlanta airport, with some success, but it just wasn't enough. We got to Charlotte three hours before we were supposed to check into our hotel. This is when the Hyatt in Charlotte began to win our hearts by letting our desperate-for-a-nap selves check in early so we could look normal at the concert later that night!


After a delicious two hour nap, Stephanie and I woke up and began to get ready. Soon, Deah and Ashleigh joined us and made me envious of their earlier acoustic show with Need. Stephanie and Ashleigh quickly discovered how much Deah and I love Need...they started out not knowing names, but by the end...haha...We got all dolled up and headed for the closest restaurant, which ironically ended up being some Mexican restaurant with steep prices and slow service. We scarfed our food and booked it for the venue so we could get in and start meeting people! I was looking forward to this show because I knew I was going to meet a few friends I had made online, including Tennessee and Elaine. The four of us quickly spotted familiar faces, including Need's tour manager, Tyler. Deah and I went up and introduced ourselves. I had been following Tyler's blog (because I am a blog nerd), and had commented a few times. I explained that and shared that I was the Respirator for SLO. He asked about the size of the venue, which I shared was too small...you could tell he was mentally preparing for that show, as he has never been there before. We chatted a bit more before he had to run off and do important things. Shortly after that, we met Susan, the amazing photographer who did Need's photo book. She was really sweet to talk to. Then I spotted Patrick (aka Secret Guest from a webchat a few months back). Deah and I walked up to him and said, "So, rumor has it that you are the Secret Guest...", to which he replied, "Mayyybeeee". He laughed and admitted it, and we introduced ourselves. We asked him about his random squiggly line shirt (which Tyler had also been wearing), and he said it didn't mean anything, but that there were only two. We also asked if Ashleigh could be added to the meet and greet for that night and maybe Sunday. He told us that he might be able to do Sunday (which didn't end up happening).

Matt Hires began to play, and Deah, Stephanie and I waited near the merch booth to go to our meet and greet. Ashleigh hovered around there, waiting for us to return. Soon, Patrick came and told us that we needed to get into groups of 5-6...we joined Tennessee and her mom and friend, and got in the back of the line so we could be last! We joked about the pink sunglasses Tenn got for Seth to wear and impatiently waited our turn. Eventually, we were the last group, and we found it hilarious that the door we were going through was an emergency exit only. We joked that it was indeed an emergency. Patrick took one look at our group and told us he was going to have to separate us...such a tease! Finally it was our turn!

I walked out to Bo and Joe, while Deah apparently walked up to each one, shook their hand and then waited at the end of the line...hee hee...she is what we refer to as a breather freezer! Stephanie played paparazzi as I gave Bo the headband I promised for his wife. He laughed a little at the fact that it came in a heart shaped box. I promise, that was not my idea! I found it hilarious when Bo told me he recognized me from Twitter, when I had only joined the week before! I asked Bo about the "Something Beautiful" video, which my friend Tim and I entered an entry for. He laughed and said he had been working on it right before the meet and greet. He asked me if it was the video with the beach scenes and when I said yeah, he responded with "yeah, we're not gonna use that video..." I am pretty sure I lightly smacked his arm and replied "BO! Don't tease me like that!", to which he said, "nah, we are gonna use it" and smiled. I shared with the guys that Stephanie and I had traveled overnight to come see them, and they were impressed. I told Joe I was really excited when they added SLO to the tour, because it wasn't on the original list. Then I told Joe that when I met him in San Francisco, I forgot to get a picture with him...because we talked so much! Bo looks at me, says "ohhhh...." and slides over, gesturing me to get in there and take the picture. Joe goes "oh really?" and smiles, and we get the picture you see here. Deah joined me at some point here, and I asked Joe about his tattoos. In the webchat, he said he had 4, whereas only 3 are visible...plus, he was getting another one. So, I asked where the 4th was (his ankle), and what his new one was going to be (a tree with roots going into the hebrew tattoo...which I love...it means "the Messiah makes the soldier"). I moved down the line and talked with Bear and Joe a little about what they were going to do in SLO, and why they were going from L.A. to San Diego then up to SLO. While talking to Bear about girls getting tattoos because Deah was talking about getting one (Bear encouraged her to go with a full sleeve...haha), Joe called Stephanie over to talk. Stephanie asked him about his beard, and I jumped in somewhere in this to overhear him say that he wanted to let it grow till the end of tour...if he could stand it. Stephanie goes on to tell him about a guy we saw at the airport who had a crazy beard...and points out that this guy was bald. I found this hilarious because Steph didn't know that Joe is also bald. He just wears hats all the time. I later gave her a hard time about pointing this detail out. We then got a few group shots and I manage to high five Seth as they go. I didn't even talk to Seth, nor did that really bother me. He had refused to wear Tenn's sunglasses, which made me sad. Bear rocked them though, and made me smile. I had a great time talking with Joe and Bo!


We went back inside and after trying to push our way through a very grumpy crowd, found ourselves near the sound booth. Deah was invited to stand inside the sound booth by Tyler, while I sadly stood just outside it. I was not cool enough, I guess! And I certainly was not going to invite myself. It was fun though, because I knew what songs were coming, and had a decent view of the stage. I met a couple who met through the breather site and were getting married in two weeks. So sweet. The guys played an amazing set, and wound down to their acoustic set, where they moved up to the balcony. Bear told the crowd to be quiet so he could sing over everyone and if anyone heard someone talking, they should punch em in the face. I thought that was pretty funny. People were not moving very quickly out of the way on the balcony, and I grew impatient, saying they needed to move. Tyler told me to hold on...haha, I guess I was being impatient. You can watch the video of this performance here.

The crowd eventually thinned and we decided to leave. Ashleigh voted to stay with Steph and I for the night instead of trekking back home, so we grabbed her stuff. On our way back from that, we saw Jenna, Breather Prez, and chatted for a few minutes. Bear was taking pictures with people, which I thought was sweet of him. We somehow managed to find our way back to the hotel and into bed for a wonderful night of sleep...here ends day 1...

rushing winds

Right now I am sitting on my bed listening to the soulful guitar and melody of Jakob Dylan, as well as the forceful wind and rain outside my window. I love Sundays. A day of rest for my soul, though not often in body. Today, I was up and running at 5am, gearing up for helping lead worship. Even though I was tired, I found there was enough time for everything I needed and wanted. Time for filling my heart and mind with God's word. Time for a trip to the coffee shop for breakfast before heading to the church. It was nice not to feel rushed. Sometimes I feel like everyday feels rushed. But God spoke grace over today and set the beginning of my day at a restful pace. A complete contrast to the storm outside. I am so grateful, because I feel peace. Like I am where I am meant to be, and God is taking care of me.

In a few days, I fly to a place I have never been to start an adventure that was inspired by a crazy idea, but inspired nevertheless. I love to travel, and have not done nearly enough of it. I am looking forward to time away. I feel giddy...like a kid getting ready to go to Disneyland. It's my "spring break"...and I can't hardly believe it's already here!

I will post a long recap of my adventure when I get back...sorry in advance if you don't really care that much, but I guess you don't have to read it if you don't want to :) The joke is that I'll be bringing someone back to meet the family...we'll see about that. Wouldn't mind, but not sure if that is in the plans. We shall see.

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29)

sing song-y day

Today I went to work without my iPod. This meant I was left to my own devices musically. I came up with "Billing, billing, billing, billing, billing everywhere...", caught onto someone else's song of "Oh happy day", and then randomly started coming up with my own version of 12 days of Christmas. I stopped at 2 days, but here is my version:

In the 12 days approaching, this is what's happening:
2 dentist visits
and a flight across the country...

Yup. I could build on this, but I have decided to let it lie. It has been a random Monday. I was quite productive. Got 4 1/2 things done on my list of 5 things to do today. Not bad at all for a Monday.

Sorry for this random post, but I realized I felt the need to post something after posting for seven days, and this is what I came up with. I am going to leave you with this...until next time...

I AM SO EXCITED FOR MY TRIP IN 11 DAYS!!!!!!! SQUEEEEEE!!!!!

the finale...

Happy Easter! What a great day for a fashion finale...a chance to wear my best as I celebrate that Jesus is risen (let the people say, "He is risen, indeed!"). I love the dress I wore today. It is so...vibrant. I don't think I own anything this colorful in a pattern, and I fell in love with it when I first saw it on the rack. Here is my final day...

I decided to jump in excitement for the finale...even though it is kinda sad.

details are important.

Dress- Target :)
Boots and sweater made appearances earlier in the week,
same with the necklace

And my favorite part of the day, besides church this morning, was seeing
my childhood best friend. I love her to pieces.

the truth?

Hahaha, truth be told, I wore my pajamas (or a version of pajamas) until about 5pm today. I am not going to post that. I let myself sleep in and do some reading...then I got my clean on! I finished my spring cleaning task and did laundry...even put the clothes away! Man, I am good. So, this outfit has only been worn about an hour. I only got three shots of it because my camera battery died...so here it is. The finale will be much better, folks. But today, you get me sans make-up and super casual.

I think I look really young in the third photo...

Flannel- Target
Teal tee- Gap
Jeans- Old Navy

Tomorrow is the last day of the Spring Fashion Week, hosted by Emery.
Let's go out with a bang!

better late than never

Hey-o...here's day 5. Been out all day/night, so this is a later entry than usual. I have no idea what to wear tomorrow. Hope I find inspiration somewhere!

Cardigan and jeans- Target
White shirt with sketch-y rose design- thrifted
Awesome purple shoes- Payless Shoes
Pink apron- borrowed from friend whose kitchen I was posing in :)

Here is the friend-


Days 6 and 7 are left of this fun fashion blog...check out the rest of the ladies (and in some cases, adorable children) HERE

new do and workin' the kicks

Today's post is a little later in the evening because I just got home from an appointment with my favorite hairdresser, Harmony! Of course I was going to wait until after that to take today's photos, even though for most of the day my hair was pulled back in a clip! Anyway, I taught CPR today, and when I do, I can go a bit more casual. Added to that, I am going line dancing tonight, soooo like Katie, I dressed the part. Drum roll please.....

...the details...

...the artistic (aka silly) shots...

...and my favorite and most fun shot!

Green sweater and camis- Target
Skinny jeans- Express
Same boots as Monday :)
Same necklace as Tuesday

Go here for more funtastic spring fashion!