June 2015 Weekend Update

June was really busy! I didn't take many pictures though. I spent early June in Louisville/Nashville for a work trip. It was quite a bit of fun. I met clients I hadn't met before. We got to go to Churchill Downs. I saw a part of Nashville I've never visited before. All in all, it was a successful trip. So, that first weekend was spent traveling home and catching my breath.

The second week in June was fun! A friend and I saw Mumford & Sons and had a blast. On Friday, the In-Laws, Brother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law, the nephews and the four of us went for Asian food. The food was plentiful. We did not give the baby sushi, but he liked edamame and tempura. The next night, we went out with our friends. Husband went golfing with the boys. A friend, Sister and I went to a brunch that was fantastic. Then, we met Sister-in-Law at the movies. After, we met up with the boys for happy hour and kept hopping from there. It was a lot of fun. On Sunday, we went to my parents' pool.

The third weekend, Little Miss and I met Sister and Nephew to see Inside Out. My mom watched Captain while we went out. We did some light shopping, too. That Sunday was another quiet Sunday. We've made an effort to keep the place relatively tidy. I think the lighter Sundays have helped.
In the last weekend, we went to Sister's house on Saturday to celebrate my dad's birthday. The kids baked brownies. I went to the mall to pick up Little Miss's flower girl dress for Sister's wedding next year. Then, we all just had an enjoyable evening. On Sunday, I met friends for lunch and some girl time.

Other items of note is that Little Miss had her last day of first grade (the picture above is misleading because it's really the last day on the left and the first day on the right). I really liked first grade (and she did as well). She grew so much - both physically and academically. She's so very bright and so eager to please. I hope she is as lucky with her second grade teacher.

Meanwhile, Captain has no desire to walk. He will very occasionally walk assisted and can walk alongside the couch, a cabinet or in the crib. He'll just fold up his legs until you let him go so he can crawl. I know his legs can support him and he knows what to do so, until he wants to, not much else to worry about. He is a fantastic eater. He'll eat anything. He's had jambalaya, many meats, fruits. He's ate shrimp last weekend for dinner. He loves fruit and pretty much anything I'm trying to feed myself. He even tried some of Husband's buffalo chicken. We've been having some constipation issues. It turns out that he needs a healthy diet of fruit and daily prunes. At least once a week, it's a big struggle so hopefully we'll have it straightened out soon. Poor little guy.

Weekend Update - 2 for 1 Deal

Because so little happened in the last two weekends, I'm smooshing them into one weekend update. 

Two weeks ago, we dropped Little Miss off with my parents, and my parents, Sister, Nephew and she went to Maine.  She had a great time with my grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousin.  This year, friends of the family also went so the two cottages were given quite the work out.  Little Miss came back a total big girl.  She seemed taller, more confident (which is hard to believe) and just so chatty about the whole vacation.

In the meantime, I went to see matchbox twenty and The Goo Goo Dolls.  You can view the setlist here.  It was a great show, and I had a nice night out with my friend. 

Last weekend, I picked up Little Miss from my parents.  We drove into the city to drop something off with Husband and then went to Target for a first day of school outfit, Trader Joe's and the grocery store.  Little Miss was all tuckered out when we got home.  Sunday, we did very little.  We basically had brunch, took a family nap and then had dinner.

In the meantime, I've been trying to catch up on Breaking Bad.  I did watch 2 seasons in the last couple of weeks.  I hope to be caught up with season 5 for this Sunday.  It's been a challenge. 

Weekend Update - Music and Vodka

This past weekend, I ran home on Friday so Husband and I could go to see The Lumineers with Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law.  We tailgated and then went into the concert.  It was a lot of fun.  I overindulged just a little, but the band was great and the weather was beautiful.

On Saturday, I got ready early to go to a golf outing in which Husband was participating.  It was a Skirt Off so all 20 men dressed in kilts (or makeshift skirts) and teed off from the front tees.  After, we celebrated Husband and Brother-in-law's second place finish with some food and drink with the group.  Then, we ran a few errands and met friends at The Dave Matthews Band concert.  The concert was awesome, but the weather was not awesome.  Luckily, we had seats in the amphitheater.  It poured about half of the concert.  I zipped up my hoodie and put up my umbrella for the lengthy walk to the car and only got wet on my legs and feet.  Husband got soaked.  I was designated driver home which was uneventful.  I was asleep almost immediately when we got home.

Today, we slept late and then Husband went to pick up Little Miss.  We've been getting in a lot of cuddle time, but I think she is glad to be home.

Weekend Update - The Boss in NJ

Last Friday, poor Little Miss had a dentist appointment. She handled it like a trooper. She admitted to crying but because of the noise, she insists, not pain. After, she recuperated very quickly. We then left to go to New Jersey. Husband and I had a delightful and relaxing dinner at Il Villagio. 

On Saturday, we slept late. Then, we went to friends' house where we carpooled to Met-Life Stadium to see Bruce Springsteen again. We hung out in the parking lot for a handful of hours and then found out that there was a rain delay. You can find a recap here. The concert was fantastic. We didn't get to bed until 4AM and it was worth it. 

The playlist was as follows: 
1. Out in the Street 
2. The Ties That Bind 
3. Cynthia (tour premiere) 
4. Badlands 
5. Who'll Stop the Rain 
6. Cover Me 
7. Downbound Train 
8. We Take Care of Our Own 
9. Wrecking Ball 
10. Death to My Hometown 
11. My City of Ruins 
12. It's Hard To Be A Saint in the City 
13. Jole Blon (With Gary US Bonds) 
14. This Little Girl (With Gary US Bonds) 
15. Pay Me My Money Down 
16. Janey Don't You Lose Heart (full band premiere) 
17. In the Midnight Hour (tour premiere) 
18. Into The Fire (tour premiere) 
19. Because The Night 
20. She's The One 
21. Working on the Highway 
22. Shackled and Drawn 
23. Waiting on a Sunny Day 
24. Meeting Across the River (tour premiere) 
25. Jungleland 

ENCORES 
26. Thunder Road 
27. Rocky Ground 
28. Born To Run 
29. Glory Days 
30. Seven Nights to Rock 
31. Dancing in the Dark 
32. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out 
33. Twist and Shout 

 On Sunday, we went back to our friends' house and watched the Jets game. Then, we head on home. It was an exhausting weekend from which we are still recovering, but it was worth it!

Weekend Update - Bruuuuuuuuuce!

Last Friday, I took some vacation hours and met Husband's friend. Then, the two of us drove into the city to meet up with Husband. The three of us had a couple of beverages and dinner. Then, we went to Nats Park to see Bruce Springsteen. You can a summary of the concert here. It was a great show. We've never seen him before. As a passable fan, I enjoyed myself a lot. As a huge fan, Husband was in heaven. Stay tuned for next week's update because we're seeing him again next Saturday. The set list is below:

1. Prove it All Night (with 1978 intro)
2. My Love Will Not Let You Down
3 .The Ties That Bind
4. Hungry Heart
5. We Take Care Of Our Own
6. Wrecking Ball
7. Death To My Hometown
8. My City Of Ruins
9. Spirit In The Night
10. Blinded By The Light (tour premiere)
11. Jack Of All Trades
12. Jackson Cage
13. Shes The One
14. Johnny 99
15. Darlington County
16. Shackled and Drawn
17. Waitin' On a Sunny Day
18. The Promised Land
19 .Racing In The Street
20. The Rising
21. Badlands
22. Land of Hope and Dreams
End main set Encores:
23. We Are Alive
24. Thunder Road
25. Born to Run
26. Detroit Medley
27. Dancing in the Dark
28. Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
29. American Land (with guest Ali Weinberg - Max's daughter - on accordion)
30. Twist and Shout

Photo credit:  Catherine Andrews @candrews via TwitterFans fill the field at Nationals Park in Washington, DC Friday night for the Bruce Springsteen concert. 
 
Little Miss spent the evening with the In-Laws. She loved every minute. When she came home on Saturday, Husband went to a friend's house to watch college football. Little Miss and I went to pick up cleats for soccer (along with a pair of sparkly pink shoes). We had some dinner and cuddled on the couch to watch Finding Nemo. The little one was tuckered out from her sleepover the night before and fell asleep cuddling. It was super sweet, only slightly dampened (literally) by her cuddle sweat. 

 On Sunday, we had a nice family breakfast. Husband's friend came over to watch football while Little Miss and I went to the theater to see Finding Nemo in 3D. We watched it the day before so she could be prepared. The shark (Bruce) scared her in the trailer, but he's friendly more or less so watching it twice helped a lot. After, we ran some errands and then went to Sister's house to have dinner with her, Nephew and my parents. It was a good afternoon. None of us were ready to greet another Monday though.

Weekend Update - Dave Matthews Band and Book Club

Last Friday, we met friends in the city and then went to the Dave Matthews Band. It was super flipping hot. The combination of the heat and the vodka was not kind to me. Ever since we moved down here, I'm not good in the extreme heat. Either way, the band was awesome. It was nice to hear some songs I haven't heard in awhile. I wish they had played my favorite - Why I Am, but they did were awesome. I didn't know the Zac Brown Band other than what I had heard at the Grammy's, but they were fantastic. Below is a video of Zac Brown and the Dave Matthews Band from the concert and below that is the playlist from the evening.

On Saturday, we mostly slept late. Husband played golf in the afternoon while Little Miss and I hung out. We got some ice cream and then she played in the fountain. We came home, changed into dry clothes and she took a very long nap. We had dinner and then Little Miss went to bed while we continued our Mad Men marathon of Season 3 in preparation for tonight's Season 4 premiere. We're very excited.

On Sunday, I went to book club at Clyde's to discover that the Eggs Chesapeake must only be at Old Ebbitt Grill or just not at the Mark Center. We had a fairly good discussion (aka moved right along to gossip and news). Then, I picked up Little Miss in a horrible thunderstorm and put her right down for a late nap. Tonight will be dinner and Mad Men (though I'm recording the premiere of My Boys and The Pillars of the Earth as well. I didn't realize my Sundays were getting so booked! I may have to cut back on some of the horrible summer television I've been watching.

Anyway, good weekend! One more weekend and then vacation!

Big Eyed Fish *
Pantala Naga Pampa *
Rapunzel *
Seven *
Lying In the Hands of God *
(Still Water) Don’t Drink the Water *
One Sweet World *
Proudest Monkey (tease) Satellite *
Stay Or Leave *
You Might Die Trying *
Aint It Funny How Time Slips Away +
Funny The Way It Is *
Break For It *
Jimi Thing *
Shake Me Like a Monkey *
So Damn Lucky *
You and Me *
Two Step *

Encore:
Sister ~Corn Bread *
Ants Marching *

Bon Jovi!

Last Monday night, I went to see Bon Jovi with friends. It was a blast. The band puts on a great, fun, high-energy concert. I love that the band obviously plays the new album, but there is the popular songs. Obviously, there are songs I wished to hear, but with a band that's been around for more than an album or two, some are going to be left off the setlist. Still, it was a lot of fun and almost all non-stop music. The video below is from the concert on Monday though not recorded by me as I was a teensy bit further back.

Below is the playlist of the concert:
Happy Now
We Weren't Born To Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Whole Lot Of Leavin'
Born To Be My Baby
Lost Highway
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine
~ Roadhouse Blues
It's My Life
Lay Your Hands On Me (Richie Sambora no vocal)
Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen cover)
I'll Be There For You
Something for the Pain [acoustic]
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night (Acoustic)
Keep The Faith
Work For The Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's The Only Rule

Encore:
Runaway
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

Concert Update - Ever the Same

Last night, I left work at 2PM to hang out with a friend. We went to Fair Oaks Mall to get our nails done and have dinner at Chesecake Factory. I got my nails painted Smitten with Mittens, an OPI color. It's a really neat red with a little sparkle to it. After that, we went to Patriot Center to see Rob Thomas with opening acts Carolina Liar and OneRepublic. The opening acts were pretty solid. I'm not a huge fan of either band, but I like them well enough. I thought it was to their benefit that they sounded just like they do, if not better, on the radio and television. Both bands were very musical (in that they played their instruments very well and had some interesting arrangements) which was nice to experience. It's not everyday that you hear an electric cello rock out! The concert was fantastic overall. Both opening acts played the song(s) I knew of theirs. Rob Thomas was fantastic. He played most of my favorites (and I'll let him off the hook for not playing the ballads I love because too many ballads bring the show down). My one complaint is that it was FREEZING in the auditorium. I can't stress how cold it was. A couple of years ago, my friend and I saw James Blunt at an outside venue where it was unseasonably cold. We sat outside in literally freezing weather. It was warmer than the inside concert last night. Still, I was going to see Rob Thomas no matter what the weather. Below is a video clip of his version of Bent, the matchbox twenty song he performed last night. I actually love a lot of his songs simpler or acoustic, and this one is no exception.

Setlist:

Fire on the Mountain
Give Me the Meltdown
Real World '09
Lonely No More
Mockingbird
Sunday Morning, New York City Blue
Streetcorner Symphony
Natural
Getting Late into That's Alright with Carolina Liar
Still Ain't Over You
Ever the Same
Cradlesong
Someday
Something to Be
Little Wonders
Fallin' to Pieces
Her Diamonds
I Am an Illusion

Encore:
Bent
Feel so Bad
Smooth with Zach Filkins (OneRepublic)
This Is How a Heart Breaks

Weekend Update - You Could Be Happy

On Friday, I met a friend in the city. We had dinner at Founding Farmers which was yummy. Then, we went to DAR Constitution Hall to see Snow Patrol with opening guest The Plain White T's. They were fantastic. When I got home, I discovered Little Miss spent the night with the In-Laws. So, on Saturday, Husband and I slept late before beginning our day of cleaning. I'm glad we decided to take 2 full weekends to clean.

We tackled Little Miss's room and the front hall closets. I packaged up all of Little Miss's old toys and outgrown clothes. I saved the kitchen, my books and my bathroom for during the week. Next weekend, we'll tackle the bedroom which scares me. We've obviously cleaned periodically, but we haven't really picked through and purged since before Little Miss was born.

So, on Sunday, I drove out to my parents' house to drop off some items to store as well as drop off many bags to donate. Lupus Foundation picks up donated items. I'll be making a similar trip next weekend. While there, we took some newly-baked cookies. Sister and Nephew were there, and the kids enjoyed playing together. Little Miss gave the tricycle a shot. She's still little, but I think she liked the concept. Because Little Miss didn't nap all day and then played hard, she fell asleep as soon as she got into the car to head home. I carried her upstairs and she took a 2 hour nap (as did I). After, she ate dinner and played some more. Then, she went to bed.

We were about to eat dinner when Husband looked at the video monitor and said, "uh oh". That's never good. Because we cleaned, all Little Miss's clothes were put away so her basket was where it normally is (near her crib) and filled with dirty clothes versus having her dirty clothes just on the floor in a pile. It's our fault really. We knew this is what she does when the clothes pile gets too big. The photo on the right will show what we discovered. We cleaned the crib out, moved the laundry basket and tried bedtime all over again.

Weekend Update - So Much To Say

OK, there isn't that much to say, but I wanted to use a Dave Matthews Band song. On Friday, darned if I can remember what we did. As I just found out, we did nothing which made it every easy to forget. I think I may have read a bit of my book because I finished it on Saturday. Onn Saturday, we ran around like crazy people getting ready for the concert. Little Miss was a good girl. We got her all ready for church with the In-Laws. Then, we went to see the Dave Matthews Band. They played a great show (on the link, if it doesn't automatically direct you, click on the August 8th show at Nissan Pavillion). We had a great time with friends.

On Sunday, we woke up luxuriously late. We got ready and ate and then went to the In-Laws' pool for some fun in the sun. Little Miss had fun walking all over the pool area and playing on the steps of the pool. Then, we went home. I gave Little Miss a bath while Husband went to grab food for dinner. Then, Little Miss fell asleep on the couch waiting for her Daddy. However, she woke up a couple of hours later to see him. We watched a little tv and then tried to put her back to bed.

This morning, she's a little under the weather so hopefully it'll pass and just due to too much fun in the sun. We'll keep an eye out.

Weekend Update - The Half-Blood Prince

Last week was a little nutty. I was on vacation from Wednesday to Friday. I didn't do full entries, but I had a busy week. On Friday, Little Miss and I went to Dad and Mom's house to steal food for lunch. Then, Mom, Little Miss and I went to the the mall to get portraits taken of Little Miss in her hanbok at The Picture People. It was still a little big on her, but I had an awesome coupon that was too good to pass up. The portraits came out beautifully. As soon as I get the email, I'll post some photos. After, I dropped Mom off so I could beat rush hour traffic, but rush hour traffic won that race. We had a super happy little girl that night. She ran around thrilled until bedtime.

Saturday is my day to sleep in. So, Husband woke up with Little Miss while I stayed in bed. In the early afternoon, I went to the mall to meet friends for lunch and to see Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince. We had a good time. I also shopped a little. I should also mentioned that a friend and I made plans to see Rob Thomas in concert this fall. I've seen matchbox twenty in concert 3 times, I believe, but I've never seen Rob Thomas perform solo (though I did buy his DVD so I can prepare. I love Cradlesong so I'm super excited for this concert.

Sunday is my day to wake up with Little Miss. Luckily, she was still tired so we both dozed on the couch for a bit. Then, she ate breakfast and we all lounged about the house lazily. In the early afternoon, she went to spend time with the In-Laws while we went to a wake of a former co-worker of Husband's. We came home to go grocery shopping and to a tired Little Miss. We ate dinner, and then I put Little Miss to bed.

And, of course, it's Monday again, the beginning of another crazy week.

Weekend Update - The Rocket Man & The Piano Man

Let's see. On Friday, Little Miss got into my make up. She would put on the blush. I'd put lip gloss on her, and she remained perfectly still during the application. Then, I took away the make up when she kept digging the powder out with her fingers. So, we had another royal tantrum. I ate quickly while Husband manned the tantrum-y baby and then he ate while I deposited tantrum-y baby in bed. No cleaning got done that night.

That said, Saturday, we woke up and cleaned like mad people (well, bathrooms and dusted the main room, but the bedroom is still cluttered and messy). Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law came over in the afternoon to go over the routine before watching Little Miss all night. She put on an act and cried when we left, but I didn't hear her after we shut the door so I think she was acting to make us feel bad for leaving us. The In-Laws, Husband and I went to see Elton John and Billy Joel in concert. It was super. I've never seen Elton John or the two of them together so it was a great treat. We also had a fantastic dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill beforehand.

On Sunday, Husband woke up and fed Little Miss breakfast and then went to play golf. In the mid-afternoon, Little Miss and I went to meet Sister for lunch. We ate at Baja Fresh where Little Miss ate almost all the chicken out of my tacos. Then, we went grocery shopping and to Parents' house. There, we met Parents, Nephew and my parents' former exchange student and her brother. I also went to pick up Husband at the Metro. I also put Little Miss and Nephew's handprints on Dad's cast. We took a brief dip in the pool and then went to the house for dinner. Little Miss ate really well and then, because it was late, curled up on the sofa and tried to go to sleep. We took that as our cue to leave. She fell asleep before we turned off my parents' road.

So, good and busy weekend. We'll be going into the city later this week so I'll try to do an update during the week as well as after next weekend. Busy week of visiting friends in the city while they work, booksignings, and a movie.

Weekend Update - with and without Baby

On Friday afternoon, I worked from home, and Husband came home early for summer hours. So, Baby got a lot of time with us. On Saturday, we went to In-Laws' apartment to hang out at the pool with Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law. It was a lot of fun. Lots of good food! Baby had a blast with all her people around and all the attention. She loves the water. It'll be interesting to see how she loves the beach next week!

She was a very good girl all day. Her schedule, miraculously, was kept for the most part though we had to be a little creative with her naps. She slept in the pool while I held her and then finally fell asleep in her stroller. It's hard to sleep when so much is going on. Then, she finally just collapsed in the evening after so much playing. She was a little fussy when we went home, but she was ok as long as we held her. When we got home, she fell immediately back to sleep so we were lucky.

On Sunday, we mostly just hung around home during the day. Baby crawled all over as usual. I did a little tidying up. Husband went to run errands. Baby got to spend the night with her other set of grandparents this week. She hung out with the In-Laws. We met Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law to go into the city. We had dinner at matchbox and post dinner drinks at Bar Louie. I had a S'mores martini which was Absolut Vanilia, Godiva Chocolate Liquer, Monin Toasted Marshmellow Syrup, Crème & Chocolate Syrup - Garnished w/Graham Cracker Rim & Mini Marshmallows. Totally yummy though mine didn't have mini marshmallows. After dinner and drinks, we went to Verizon Center to see Coldplay. The concert was really good. I had never seen Coldplay in concert so that was a treat, and the band played songs I knew which is always good.

It was different to wake up on a weekday with Baby. It was quiet with the baby monitor off and no baby babbling wake up call. It will be nice to see Baby tonight after work!

It was a good weekend. Plus, we only need to get through this one week before our big beach vacation. It'll be Baby's first plane ride and first time in New England. So, no Weekend Update next week, but there will definitely be a big update the week after!

Agree to Disagree

I am a big fan of matchbox twenty. The music makes me happy. I've seen the band in concert three times, the most recent was last Friday night. However, no one in my family shares my obsession. They all tell me repeatedly how bad the music is and ask me why I listen to it. It makes me so mad! I don't tell them that their music is sucky (and it is). Plus, I found out that you can buy recordings of the concerts. I'm contemplating buying the recording from the concert I attended. I'll probably break down within the next week or so. I'd say that this is a guilty pleasure, but it's without the guilt.

Cleaning House

I realized why I don't clean often. It's such a pain! Because we have all these people coming over this weekend and I've procrastinated as long as possible, I put together a plan so everything gets done. Monday was my recharging day. Well, this is because I was too tired to do anything. So, Baby and I took a nap. Yesterday, my plan was to tidy up the entire apartment to make it easy to clean. I did 98% of the cleaning. I just have to hang my clean clothes up in the closet. Tonight, I will hang up the clothes and dust. Tomorrow, I just have to clean the bathrooms and kitchen which shouldn't take too long. I have been pretty good about keeping those rooms clean. Husband will do the floors and trash and order food. We're both splitting the grocery shopping.

It would be easier if I had Friday, but I'm going to see matchbox twenty so I lose an entire day. It's worth it. Saturday morning will be rough, but it'll still be worth it.

I suppose it's good that we're cleaning. It's been awhile since the whole house got cleaned. We've been keeping up with things since Baby was born, but the apartment hasn't had a full overhaul in quite some time. My goal is to keep up with it a little more. Ha. That's my goal every year! Oh, and I so don't have a big smile on my face when I clean. I'm more like the Tasmanian Devil haphazzardly whirling about yelling inarticulate noises.

Concert Pet Peeves

I was listening to Mirrorball by Sarah McLachlan, and I realized I have a couple of concert pet peeves.

In a lot of ways, people are lemmings when it comes to concerts. We all pile into an area for an intimate night with one of our favorite artists. Well, you know, it would be intimate if it wasn't for the thousands of other people. When the artist mentions where we live ("Hello, Detroit!"), we all scream as if to say, "I'm so glad you know geography! Yay, if it's Tuesday, it must be Detroit!" When the artist on stage swings his arms from side to side, waving them, we follow suit and wave our arms like we just don't care. Then, the most ridiculous thing is the sing along. We pay at least $50 to see our favorite artist and end up singing half the songs. The artist, who now has time to take a drink, go to the bathroom, entertain that cutie in the front row, sits back then says "great singing, everyone!" at which we all scream even though we did all the work!

Don't even get me started on how much concerts and their corresponding merchandise cost...