Concert Mania Day 1... The Roots!!

So my friend Sara and I have decided to celebrate our 30th b-days all year long. This includes doing something fun... breakfast at work, a concert, sporting event, happy hour or whatever our little hearts desire... on the 30th of each month. February is trying to rob us of our b-day joy since there's only 28 days, but we are fighting back and celebrating in a special way... and probably killing ourselves in the process... but we're treating ourselves to 3 concerts in 5 days!!!

Our concert-fest started last night when Sara, Violet and I headed to the Crystal Ballroom for a sold-out Roots concert!! I saw them a couple years ago when I was in Vegas... and they were just as fabulous last night!! I absolutely love these guys!!!!

http://www.myspace.com/theroots

Progressive Dinner

On Saturday, a couple of my friends and I hooked up a simple progressive dinner so we could basically get up in each other's business! :-) We haven't all been together for awhile and there's been decorating going on and Ginean actually just moved to a new house, so we had to check out her new crib!! And why not eat along the way, right?! We started at Andee & I's crib for a salad... then headed to Ginean's for the main dish... then finished up at Stacey's for dessert!! Good friends, good food, good times!!!

Andee & I's crib

Joseph giving us a tour of the kitchen & appliances!

Precious Jasmine!

She is just too cute for words!!

Jasmine & Mommy!

I have no idea...

Leaving Ginean's... bring on that dessert, Stacey G.!!

The night was a success... so much in fact, that we didn't even leave Stace's house until midnight. That made 7:45am service a chore, but it was well worth it!! My stomach muscles always get a workout when I'm with this crew... the comedy is never-ending!! I love these girls!!

Someone please pinch me...

because I cannot believe she's a teenager!!!


Oh my goodness! It seems like just yesterday that I was paired up with this shy, little 6 yr. old named Alex in the Mt. Olivet parking lot on our way to the pumpkin patch and now she's 13!!! It blows my mind!! Through the years we always celebrated her b-day with another girl in the program, Kylie, who is now 12. Their b-days are 1 day apart!! So this year was no different and we spent the day ice skating, shopping and chowin' down on McDonalds!! Apparently, some things never change!!

Fun times!! Here's to the teenage years!!

Just when you think the world is SO big...

.. it gets incredibly smaller.

So I'm at Safeway yesterday, doing my last minute Super Bowl shopping and as I head down one of the aisles this guy is just staring at me... he had that look that he might know me, but can't quite put his finger on it. I see him glance down at my sweatshirt, so I try to help him out and I said... Fort Hays State University? (I was sportin' my college student look, as my roomie likes to call it... my FHSU sweatshirt, camo shorts and matching flip flops, but of course!) He started to smile and said that he's actually been in Hays, he took a summer course there 2 summers ago while he played for the LARKS!!! I, of course, responded with my normal "Shut up!" and continued to laugh out loud. Dang, how many years was I a groupie? Aaahh... memories!! Anyway, I guess he played at Notre Dame for 2 yrs, got sent to Hays to play for the Larks and now he's up here at the University of Portland. I guess he didn't really care for good 'ol Hays because the cops pulled him over on Main St. for going 31 in a 20. Hehe!

Anyway, as we chatted I noticed his necklace had a fish, with a heart in it, so I just came out and asked if he was a christian. He looked a little shocked as to how I would know, so I mentioned his necklace and he just smiled and said yes. He goes to Imago Dei which is in SE. I've heard of it, but don't know much about it. Hmm... I might have to go check out some Pilots baseball games this spring!! Ya know... support a fellow brother in Christ!!!

It just cracks me up that I can be in a city this size and have run-ins like this! And this isn't the first time this has happened. A girl that was a year older than me in high school lives out here with her husband, who also went to Hays High. I thought I saw her in the gym a couple years ago, but was sure my eyes were playing tricks on me. I got confirmation from her dad, however, when I was back in Hays one time and apparently she lives in my neighborhood because I saw her walking her dog one morning on my way to work!

I also have an account up in Olympia, WA that I talk to on a regular basis and she mentioned being on vacation in KS one time. I asked where and about fell out of my chair when she said Hays!! Her daughters still live back there and get this... they went to school with my mom! One of them even married my mom's friend's ex-boyfriend. I couldn't believe it!!!!!

I'm so far away from home... yet God keeps giving me little glimpses of it every now and then to help close the gap. God is too cool!!! :-)

Long live Rock 'N' Roll!!!

Papa Roach

So an email goes out on Wednesday afternoon at work... apparently we hooked up the boys of Papa Roach with Docs, so in turn, they hooked up any DM employees that wanted to go to their concert that night with tickets and backstage passes!!! SWEET!!! Now, I have to admit, I hadn't really heard too much of their stuff, but considering my music of choice has changed in the past couple of years to rock/alternative over R&B/Hip hop... I jumped on myspace, checked them out and definitely wanted to go!! My friends Sara and Malinda were down as well... so we got our names on the list. It was at the same venue that Sara and I were at the week before for the Mat Kearney/The Colour/Jonny Lang concert. So we go thru security and the tell me it's a no camera show. Yeah, like that's going to fly with me!? I could either take my camera back to my car, or they would keep my battery and write my initials on it!! WHAT?! After a "Are you freakin' kiddin' me?!" I asked them how long they would be around after the show, b/c we had backstage passes and I didn't want them to be gone before I could get it back. Apparently those were magic words b/c they told me to go get my backstage pass and bring it back to show them and they'd let me keep my battery!! SWEET!!! It's good to be VIP!! SO... Sara and I headed upstairs and grabbed seats up on the balcony. And I'm SO glad we did... it was definitely the safest spot to be!! I didn't realize until after the concert started that all the ROCK concerts I've been to in the past, were all "christian" concerts!!! Um yeah... big difference. F-bombs exploding all over the place... and the mosh pit... OMG! NOTHING like the crazy christian kids. Wow.

Anyway, not only was the balcony the safest place to be, it's also proved to be pretty entertaining the last 2 times. Last week, during The Colours set, the lead singer jumped up on the speakers and jumped up on the railing to the balcony RIGHT next to me. I couldn't believe it. I knew I was supposed to reach out and touch him, but I wasn't about to be on the evening news as the girl that made him fall. Well, the lead singer of Papa Roach topped him. Not only did he jump up on the speakers... he climbed over and sung IN the crowd... all the way around. I tried to get my camera out when he was right next to us, but didn't get it out quick enough.

ANYWAY... the night ended up being a lot of fun!! The first band was local, and pretty good... the 2nd band was heavy metal and sucked (my opinion, of course)... but Papa Roach was awesome! And I'm definitely a new fan!! I LOVED them!! Malinda & Eric had to leave before it was over to relieve their sitter and unfortunately Sara and I were too tired (not to mention too shy) to go backstage, so we hit the road. We're just not as young as we used to be... but we're still HOT, dang it!!!

Sara & I ... concert maniacs of 2007!

Backstage pass!

Papa Roach

Snow Days!!

So we had Monday, 1/15 off for Martin Luther King Jr. day, so here it is Tuesday morning... I am feeling rested from my 3 day weekend... got 2 days of 11+ hrs., feeling good, and it actually looks like I might be on time for work... bonus! I walk out of the bathroom and my roomie says, "Kansas, did you know it was snowing?" WHAT?! I ran to the window and saw 2-3 in. covering my car and it was still coming down!! I was SO excited!!!! Then stress overcame me as I thought of the concert Sara and I were supposed to go to that night... and knowing how the city shuts down at the sight of flurries... I immediately sent Sara a text to see what the deal was!! She gets to work at 6am, and apparently all the early birds were just sitting at the windows watching folks slide down Burnside, the major street next to our building. At one point a bus had slid perpendicular and was blocking all 4 lanes... exciting stuff! SO... needless to say, I was instructed to stay put and Sara was going to check on the concert and let me know! So Andee and I remained on the couch for the rest of the morning watching the "Breaking news" regarding Winter Blast '07!!

Well, as soon as I got word from Sara that our concert was still on, I decided to pack my bags and brave the storm. I got to the office around 2pm, just as last few employees were on their way out. After much ridicule for coming in at all, I explained the concert and proceeded to sit at my desk and play on the internet until my beloved concert started!!! Sara and I had decided that we should just sleep at work instead of messing with the roads at midnight then again in the morning, so we got permission from the head honcho, we worked out the alarm issues and we basically played video games and messed around on myspace until it was time to walk to our concert!!

My street!

View of downtown... yes, I was taking pics while driving.

Dude on skis in downtown Portland!

Yet, not as good as the snowmobile someone drove to Blockbuster when the last storm hit 3 yrs. ago!! Here are some other shots that Sara took from the rooftop of our building!

Apparently this bus caused havoc for most of the morning!

Because standing in the street, on a hill, that people keep sliding down sounds like a GRAND idea!

Our parking lot... those that actually made it in before the storm hit, didn't stay for long!!

Have I mentioned lately that I HEART Mat Kearney?! The concert started with Mat, then a band called The Colour and then Jonny Lang. It was fabulous!!! All 3 bands were awesome!!! I hadn't heard much of Jonny Lang, but to my surprise, his latest album was a gospel album!! He started his encore with "I love you Lord"!! SWEET!! If you like the blues, you should check him out!!

Me & Sara... the adventurous concert-goers!!
My pretend boyfriend Mat

Lead singer for The Colour

Jonny Lang

Sara did some snow graffiti before we headed into the building!!

My humble abode... consisting of popazan cushions, king-size comforter and homeade afghan from 1993!!

Sara's camping set-up!!

Earlier in the afternoon, it sounded like a great idea to come back and play pool or hook up the video games downstairs after the concert... but by the time the concert was over, reality hit, and we remembered that we're old, so we just made our beds and crashed instead. I have to say we had a pretty good hook up!!! I slept like a baby... not waking up once!! Well, until the dang phones starting ringing at 6:30am. Geez!! Shortly after our Chief Operations Officer walked thru with his Starbucks, just laughing!!! So anyway, after a few more lazy moments in bed, it was time to get up. I showered and was answering phones by 8am. We didn't last long, tho, before heading to Starbucks to get our coffee fix around 8:20!! Not many people braved the slick roads to come in Wednesday either, so we hung in there for a couple hours and then we headed home around 1pm. I got home and made some veggie soup and not only started, but finished my book! It was a great day!!!!

So... as much as I gripe about how people freak out at the possible chance of flurries... and how a few measly inches of snow cripples the entire city... how can you NOT love the fact that a few measly inches of snow just gave me a 5 day weekend!! Halleluyer!!! Plus, I have to remember that Hays, KS doesn't exactly have the bridges and huge hills to cause havoc in these types of conditions. There's nothing like a semi-truck getting stuck on the on-ramp from one freeway to the next... keeping people trapped in their cars behind him for 4-5 hours. Sucked to be them Tuesday morning!!! But regardless of the possible drama... Old Man Winter can come visit P-town anytime!!!!

New Year's Resolutions

10. Write in my prayer journal atleast once a week.
9. Take better care of my car. As my Dad says," it's done a good job of taking care of you", which is true, so here's to 2007 and timely oil changes!!
8. Keep in better contact with friends & family. (Thank goodness for myspace!)
7. Put $$ into savings each month.
6. Keep my dang credit card bill under $500 every month.
5. Get back into "using" the gym membership I've been paying for. Shamrock Run, here I come!
4. I will NOT cry at work in 2007... no deaths, no big changes... no tears.
3. Decrease my pop intake... increase H20 intake.
2. Limit my eating out... budget myself. Subway and Taco Bell will NOT help me with retirement!
1. Celebrate my 30th b-day ALL YEAR LONG!! :-)

Here's to a great 2007... no matter who you are, or where you might be... Cheers!!

New Year's Day

It was definitely 7:30ish when we left, but we eventually got out of town and headed to KC for lunch with Tiff & Mark. We had a few unexpected stops along the way, but whatever… we made it and had a great time at lunch. We even had time to go to Mark’s grandparents house to play a board game before heading to the airport for the continuation of my long travel day.

PJ's... check. Crackers... check. Nemo pipe... check. Let's roll!!

Beautiful KS sunrise!

Me & Baby J

See... there are some hills in KS!! With snow even!! :-)

One more game of Hide-n-Seek before getting back into the car!

Me & Tiff

Tiff & Mark

Krisson & I

Chris, Krisson & Jordan

Dad, Mom and I

Can I just say goodbyes suck. And they don’t seem to get any easier. Thank goodness for Jordan to keep things light-hearted. Most of the attention is on him running around the airport like a maniac b/c he’s been stuck in his car seat for WAY too long… and the poor thing had no idea he had to get back into it for another 4.5 hours!!! He’s such a trooper, though!! And it’s nice to have the distraction, instead of dwelling on me leaving.

And have I mentioned lately that God is good? Even though Denver got hit with 2 huge blizzards during my travel time to KS… it was clear and things were running smoothly when I headed back on New Year’s Day!! Well, smooth in regards to weather and my flights. Not everyone had that luxury. And I guess I really didn’t either… the weather may not have delayed my flights, but a steering issue with the plane sure did. My 2.5 layover, soon turned into a 4 hr. layover but my nose was so far into my book, I didn’t really care. I was a little worried when they mentioned it might be too late to get another plane and we might be sleeping at the airport, but even then… I was like “whatever”. Who cares that I’m getting into Portland at midnight now, which is really 2am KS time and I was up at the crack of dawn and getting up for work is really going to suck… it just once again proves the theory I seem to live by… “Who really needs sleep anyway?”

Moral of the story… I had a fabulous time at home in good ‘ole Hays, America. I have the best family in the world… the cutest nephews on the planet… and the best friends in the whole wide world. And although I didn’t get to see everyone that I would have liked to over my break, I did get to see some that I haven’t seen or spent time with for a long time, so that made me happy. My family seemed to monopolize my time and they were definitely my first priority… and funny how there didn’t seem to be enough time with them either. I guess that’s just a hardship I have to live with due to living so far away. Hmmm… well, until God says move back… I’ll guess I’ll continue on this life’s journey in the NW. And what a journey it will be!!! 2006 was a fabulous year… with so many travels and adventures and concerts and family and friends… and my calendar for 2007 is starting to fill up quickly!!! I already have tickets to 2 concerts… Mat Kearney next week and then the Roots in February!! Plus my cousin Stephen is bringing a couple bands out in February and then again in March!! Dr. Martens is hosting a party on Super Bowl Sunday and then they’re sending me to Atlanta for a show in the middle of February!!! I’m scheming to go to Hawaii for a week in April with Lily for the Kokua Festival and plans are in the works for an AGD reunion in Vegas over Memorial Day weekend!!! So stay tuned, 2007 is already shaping up to be a great year and you know me… I’ll definitely keep ya posted!!!

I hope you all have a blessed, fun-filled, adventurous 2007!!!