A Weekend of Jennifers

In August I stopped writing because I was so angry and disheartened about the state of the world.  At that time, I realized I was constantly writing about all of the bad in the world, because that was really all there was to talk about.  In the last 8 weeks or so, things haven't gotten much better however I've realized there is still good things to talk about and there's still fun to be had.  That's what I'm going to try to focus on going forward, and try not to let the current administration bog me down too much.

So without further ado, I'm celebrating my weekend of Jennifers.  In 3 days I did fun things with 3 friends named Jennifer, and I enjoyed my time immensely  On Friday, there was a Tim McGraw and Faith Hill concert which was as usual for them, awesome.  That show was shared with 2 friends named Jen.

Then last night, there was an amazing concert by Leslie Odom Jr.  This show marked the first for me at the Kennedy Center - which is a gorgeous venue, and was spent with yet another Jennifer.  We ate Mexican food and fell in love with Leslie's new version of The Room Where it Happened.  Honestly, he's so darn good!

Then today, with that same Jennifer we saw an interesting performance of Sondheim's Company which was new for us since we've never seen that show.  But at the moment, we still aren't sure exactly what happened because the sound was so bad.  So I'm going to go on record as saying I still haven't technically seen Company.  

All in all a pretty perfect weekend was spent.  These are the things that make me happy, and these are what I'm going to do my best to write about!

Bring on the happy!

The Last Summer Concert - And I Mean it this Time

Remember when I said I saw Kristin Chenoweth last week and she was my last summer concert?  So I lied.  I somehow got roped into my last summer concert tonight. This time it was Kip Moore, some other band I've never heard of and Miranda Lambert at Merriweather. It was a beautiful night but seeing as it was a country concert, it wasn't nearly as tame and civilized as the K Cheno concert.  However hanging out with good friends and chatting between sets is always a fun way to spend an evening.  

So long summer concerts!  See you again in 9 months : )

52 Lists: Week 3

There's a radio program in England called Desert Island Discs.  Basically famous people go on and play the albums they'd take with them to a desert island.  I can't narrow anything down to discs, but I can tell you some of my most favorites that I would definitely be taking with me if ever I was to be stranded on a desert island:

~ Any (and every) song by Billy Joel
~ RENT, Wicked and Godspell cast albums
~ "With a Little Help from my Friends" by Joe Cocker
~ "Blackbird" by Paul McCartney
~ "American Pie" by Don McClean
~ "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin
~ Anything Sugarland 
~ "It Felt Good on my Lips" by Tim McGraw
~ "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" by Jake Owen
~ "Wagon Wheel" by Darius Rucker
~ "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel

A Very Good Saturday

I'm by no means athletic, however recently, I've been a bit interested in kayaking. There are tons of kayakers in Annapolis and I've been watching them lately.  It doesn't look that terribly difficult and it also looks like a great workout - something I'm severely lacking.  So I told the bestie that I may want us to give it a shot and she reminded me that she not only owns kayaks but also has access to a dock on the Magothy.  So off we went this morning.  

Fearing I may drown and/or fall in the Magothy (a fate worse than death in my opinion), I was slightly scared.  However, after just a few minutes, I got the hang of it and really started loving it!  It was a great workout but it wasn't too taxing or terrifying.  Turning back around, became a bit of a struggle which is where the brunt of the workout came into play, but after a few more minutes than I would have liked, I finally got the hang of that too.  Can't wait to go again!

 Notice the still waters - might account for the fact that I found kayaking easy...Something tells me it's bit more worrisome when the water doesn't look like glass.

Unfortunately there are no photos of me in the actual kayak or from the actual water.  I decided not to tempt fate by learning a new sport, not dying in the process AND attempting not to drop said phone in the Magothy.  

Then after the Kayak adventure it was off to see Darius Rucker at Merriweather.  I love Darius Rucker!  I was never much of a fan of Hootie and the Blowfish, but since he's started singing country, he's been one of my faves.  He was an awesome show; singing for almost 2 straight hours!  He even managed to sing a few Hootie and the Blowfish songs, which made the crowd go wild.

All in all - a very good Saturday!

Friday Five

1. In preparation for vacation, I've been trying to clear out some un-listened to music off my iPhone to make room for some summery vacationy tunes.  In doing so, I discovered the genre function and determined you can shuffle all the music in a particular genre (Yep, I know, I'm nothing if not on top of things...).  Anyway, doing that, I realized just how great the song "Standing Outside the Fire" was.  I mean I used to love, love, love it but then others won out.  But discovering it again, I realized it's still as fabulous as it once was. (The Live version is infinitely better but I can't seem to find it on YouTube)
                           
2. I watch a lot of House Hunters.  And if you watch a lot of House Hunters you learn things. The number one thing being that Maryland is one of the most expensive areas of the country to live in, and Texas is one of the least expensive areas of the country to live in.  Therefore, due to some really annoying Maryland issues, I've been on a "I'm moving to Texas" kick lately.  And this little article comparing Austin to Baltimore, added some serious fuel to the fire.

3. Potato Skin Potatoes: I found this on Pinterest a few weeks ago, but didn't think they'd be anything special.  I was wrong.  They were delicious and so easy to make!  I probably could have eaten a lot more than I'd made, but my cookie sheet was only so big.

4. Surprisingly I'm not a Disney person.  Don't get me wrong, I love all the movies and the characters but I've only been to Disney World once and it was sort of a bust.  I'd rather see Paris than walk around a theme park for a week. But this opening of the rest of Harry Potter World has me dreaming of a trip to Orlando.  I cannot wait until it opens next month just so I can see what else they have in store because these previews of Diagon Alley are pretty darn drool-worthy.

5. A really great joke that tells me the bestie is finally starting to feel a bit better!

Friday Five: Summer Singing

I am a total fan of country music.  Pretty much 90% of the concerts I've been to have been country artists.  I listen to country radio every day.  And for the most part, country singers are the only musicians I recognize on sight alone.  However, I get a lot of flack from so called music snobs that country music is nothing but hill-billy songs about trucks and BBQ.  They so could not be more wrong! 

Aside from the many other redeeming qualities of country music, my absolute favorite is (for the most part) they have the overwhelming ability to write purely summer songs.  You may not hear these chart-toppers again until the following summer, but when it's hot outside and you're hanging by the pool, they're the perfect accompaniment.  These are my top 5 summery, beachy and all around fab songs.

1. "Where the Boat Leaves From" Zac Brown Band

2. "Summertime" Kenny Chesney

3. "Six Pack Summer" Phil Vassar

4. "Sunshine and Summertime" Faith Hill

5. "All Summer Long" Kid Rock



And of course, my favorite of them all "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" by Jake Owens but I added that a few weeks ago so I didn't want to repeat myself : ) 

 

And one last one that should go without saying since it's pretty much a summer fave of every country music fan: "Something Like That" Tim McGraw.