Two Days of Pure Joy

I have been a very lucky girl lately. It's very unlike me to be so lucky.

I got to see Needtobreathe play two shows two nights in a row. Talk about luck. We (the roommate, Chelsey and I) had bought tickets to see them play in Little Rock back in May. But the roommate entered a contest to win tickets to see them in Oklahoma City, and she won.

Oklahoma City was ridiculous. Standing room only. And we were so close to the stage. I could have touched Bo if he had reached out to the crowd.

I mean seriously. I could have touched him. It was an amazing night. The opening bands were so good, and the energy was crazy.

Leaving OKC and driving the 5.5 hours back to Little Rock was a true test of character. About three hours into the drive home, I was ready to be out of the car. And by the time we got home, we had just enough time to get ready to go eat before the show.

Round 2 was just as awesome as Round 1.

They played "Cops" from their new EP that came out a few weeks ago. I was ridiculous. Jumping. Singing. Screaming. Laughing. You get the idea.

I can't tell you how much I love Needtobreathe. I just can't do it.

I am a music lover. And I have been since as far back as I can remember. My family was always in awe of my ability to memorize song lyrics and melodies at such a young age. And there was a period of time (1998-2000) where I wanted to be a "pop star."

Needtobreathe became my favorite band my senior year of college. All it took was one song. One song started the whole thing. Once I got all their music, I was hooked. Ridiculously amazing melodies. Thoughtful lyrics. And every single album that comes out is just different enough and even more genius than the last. And I like all of the old stuff just as much as the new stuff....and that's not something I say very often.

I have now seen them play live six times. And each time is more amazing the the first time. They are like a fine wine...just keeps getting better with time. Songs become more thought-provoking. Melodies become more ridiculous.

The roommate took some video that I have to share with you. I want you to have the opportunity to see what I saw. To experience the awesomeness that I experienced.

This first video is from OKC. "The Outsiders" is a song off the album The Outsiders. And there is a point in this song where my brain exploded. If you listen carefully around 1:15 you can hear me freak out because of the ridiculousness.

The second video is a new song called "Difference Maker." I had never heard it before they played it in OKC. But the roommate recorded the whole thing in Little Rock. I think we were both in shock and awe mode in OKC because of how awesome it is. And when I watched this exact version in Little Rock, I totally cried. The sounds and lyrics were just too much to handle.

I hope you enjoy. If you are new to Needtobreathe, you should definitely check them out. I can say without a doubt they are my favorite band ever. And those are big words for me.

What is your favorite band/song?

Who was the last band you saw play live? Where did you go to see them?

To Make It Count

Lots of really great things happened yesterday. To keep everyone sane and to help me not ramble on, I'm going to group the happenings into three different sections. Get. Ready.

Happy Birthday to me! Yes, I know my birthday isn't for another few weeks, but my mom kinda surprised me with tickets to see Needtobreathe in Searcy. I say kinda because she told me had tried to get them, and then she sent me an e-mail confirmation saying the tickets have been purchased. If I could scream, I'd still be screaming with excitement.

She not only got me a ticket, but she also got the roommate a ticket. It's not a birthday celebration unless the best friend is there. In six long short weeks, I will in a room with Needtobreathe yet again. Let's all take some time to remember how I got to meet them and see them twice in one week. 

In other news, I ran yesterday with the roommate for the first time since what seems like October. It was a cold run because we started out running into the wind, but I knew once we warmed up and turned around out of the wind it would be flaming hot. And it definitely was.

Yesterday's run was a lot better for me than the last one. I felt strong. Like I could have gone for miles and miles. And I was just shy of my 33 minute goal time. I will get there soon. I'm determined. 11-minute-miles here I come. Here are the stats:

Distance: 3.00 miles
Time: 34:22
Best Pace: 8:56
Average Pace: 11:27
Calories: 356

I felt really good after the run minus the fact that I freeze to death if I can't change clothes right after a run. Literally freeze to death. I did have some sharp knee pains after I quit running, just another sign for saying I need new shoes. More on that later.

I've been working on a Mother's Day art assignment for work. Basically, I have kids draw a picture for their moms, and I have to send them in to headquarters in Kansas City for some massive project. Out of what seems like millions of drawings, two stood out to me for different reasons. Now keep in mind the assignment was suppose to be a cheery drawing for their moms.

I am completely in love with this little girl's drawing. It is so sweet and colorful. Exactly what I want to send to Kansas City.

Now, this little boy needs to see a therapist. But I can totally relate. For the majority of my childhood whenever I could get in trouble, my mom would go from the fun, sweet, loving mother to "Dragon Momma" in about 4.25 seconds. So I can see why this kid might think it's appropriate to draw a dragon in a forest. In all honesty, I love this drawing just as much as the first one, but I can't send this to Kansas City for review.

One day, a long, long, long time from now, I hope I have a kid who blesses me with such creative artworks.

What are you excited about this week?

Which artwork do you like best?

It's the Freaking Weekend Recap

Big weekend happened. Boom Kinetic was back in town. My friend Halee got married. And I had one good run and one bad run. So let's get started, shall we?

The creepy pictures return. You know how much I love to take pictures that really showcase us as people. I think Zach really takes the cake. He looks much like a weirdo stalker, but we love him. And he is not a weirdo stalker.

Do I need to explain how I got so close to Boom Kinetic? Front row baby! We were so close that the guitar player and I had a conversation about playing "Love and Reason." It is my favorite Boom Kinetic song, and I danced like a complete fool.

The dancing got a little out of control, but not on my part. The girl standing next to me basically raped me. I had to use my super sharp elbows to ward her off of me, but she didn't get the picture. She just kept shaking her tailfeather right up against me. NOT COOL.

I had one good run and one bad run. While the times don't look like too much of a difference, I definitely struggled. For 25 minutes of my bad run, I ran with my hand jabbed into my side. Everytime I tried to run without the jabbing I felt like I was dying.

And it shows. My pace was a minute slower than my good run. And I was 5 minutes later. But I did it. And that's all that matters. I'm in the process of fueling for my run tonight. By fueling, I mean drinking water and eating the 9847592 snacks I brought to work today, but most people would call those snacks lunch. I'm sure I'll be starving by 3 P.M.

On the menu today: Leftover Quinoa Vegetable Soup, celery sticks with peanut butter, carrot sticks with spicy hummus, pita chips, Caramel Nut Brownie Luna bar, Pumpkin Walnut muffins and lots and lots of water.

I wish I could say the Quinoa Vegetable Soup was something I came up with, but it's not. I read lots of blogs on a daily basis, and I recently discovered Chelsey's blog Clean Eating Chelsey through a guest post on someone else's blog (I can't remember whose blog she wrote a guest post for...My memory...Yikes.)

You can get Chelsey's Quinoa Vegetable Soup recipe here. This recipe is vegan and gluten-free, just FYI. If you are looking for a healthy veggie soup recipe that is delicious and good for you, this one is it.

What did you do this weekend?

When do you start making Fall-ish foods? Soups, Pumpkin bread, etc?
It's never too early for Fall-ish foods at my house. I love the smell of soup on the stove and pumpkin bread in the oven. It screams Thanksgiving, comfort and love.

When Photo Shoots Go Wrong

Last night I was introduced to Boom Kinetic, a band from Fayetteville who is a frequenter of Little Rock's downtown scene. They play Classic Rock hits mixed with some of their own stuff. It's pretty awesome.

A lot of sober dancing happened, but I'm sure more firewater would have led to some rockin' dance moves on my part. But that was not the case last night because this girl has to save the money. And I didn't really want to feel like crap this morning.

The roommate and I had a little photo shoot before the band started to play. And we end up with these beauties.

Then we got tired of trying to take a decent picture, and we settled on this one.

Pretty much sums everything up I think.

Hope you are having an awesome Saturday!!

Speak Now meets The Outsiders

First thing's first. I got to work and had to make a stop in the restroom. As I swung open the door, a cockroach fell from the sky and almost got in my hair. Not cool. Totally screamed like a little girl. The entire office heard me.

Now that we got that out of the way. TAYLOR SWIFT AND NEEDTOBREATHE TICKETS GO ON SALE TODAY! And I am totally going. It will be the best concert ever. Let's just pray that she doesn't toss her hair too much or make weird flicky hand gestures because it will take away from her great voice and songs.

While I'm super excited to see T. Swift, I am even more excited to see Needtobreathe again. They came to Little Rock this past summer, and 700+ people crammed into the Rev Room to see them. And it was sweaty and hot and AMAZING! Best songs. Best voices. Best everything. And this is not an exaggeration.

Here is a ditty from each of them. Let's start with the opening act Needtobreathe.

"Washed by the Water" by Needtobreathe.



"Back to December" by Taylor Swift.

So now the purchase has been made...I will be going to see Taylor Swift and Needtobreathe on October 4 at 7 P.M. The greatest day...minus the cockroach.