First of all, Happy Halloween! Sadly, I'm a full-blown adult this year and don't even have a costume. I had every intention of being a hydrangea (trust me, it would have worked), but it just never came together. Oh well, the kids are cuter anyway!
All week, the weather had been calling for snow on Saturday, and we just laughed and laughed at how preposterous that would be. Guess who's laughing now?!?
It snowed for at least three hours at our house! The snow wasn't this heavy the whole time, but it was definitely supplemented by some freezing rain and shivering temperatures.
Plus, everyone at Carolina's homecoming game looked like they were having a blast with the beautiful weather, so thanks for adding insult to injury, guys. Preesh.
I guess the frost really is on the punkin'! How about we don't do this again until Christmas?
For those who are easily distracted, today's post may just make or break your Friday, depending on how much you really have to get done. If you love abstract art and words (who doesn't? That's what I call a dynamic duo), then five o'clock might find you a little faster today.
So basically, you plug a word into The Color Of website, and it searches Flickr for pictures tagged with that word. Then, it layers them and gives you a final picture that might represent the color of that word. For instance...
I know, DBJ of my name.
But you could easily plug in your kids' names or your alma mater's name, or whatever! Have fun!
Last Sunday, The Civil Wars came back to DC! You may remember that I first saw them back in the spring at Jammin' Java, but this time they came to the Lincoln Theatre, a much bigger venue up on U Street. But they were just as fantastic!
...and got a standing ovation. I didn't really know what to think of them at first, but they were awesome! Then, we got to see who we came for...
Seriously, if you haven't listened to these two yet, you need to jump on this bandwagon real fast. They have "CMA Song of the Year" written all over them.
Have any of you seen this video yet? Of Sandra Lee totally grabbing Halloween by the neck and shaking it vigorously until no one really feels comfortable celebrating it anymore?
I wish I could embed the video, but apparently Gawker hates bloggers.
Y'all, she is pretty much the first lady of New York, and she's pouring black vodka into ice-cream-cone-shaped glasses while dressed like Cher. For perhaps the first time in my life, words escape me.
And then these gems happened...
In all, she probably had 378 costume changes during this nightmare of a special, each one a little lushier than the last.
Last Saturday, my family headed to Charlottesville to watch NC State take on U.Va.! Since my dad is a State alum, we all had on our red (except Mom, who wore "diplomatic" purple. It really just confused the State fans who thought she was pulling for ECU...). We had a delicious tailgate and walked over to the band building to see my cousin, Cianne, before she headed to the stadium with the Cavalier Marching Band!
State brought their whole band, too, so things got noisy...
The Rotunda!
To lots of "boos" and maybe a few "I declare!"s from the kids in the student section dressed as Thomas Jefferson (I'm not kidding), here comes NC State!
Cav Man...
We think it's important in the ACC to pretend we like each other for a few seconds prior to each game. It makes us 0% less likely to flatten each other if the opportunity arises.
Pretty sure State actually blocked this kick!
Dad being a proud alum!
Their halftime show was "Video Games", so this poor tuba player ran all across the field being the little Pong ball. Hilarious.
Pac Man...
I kid you not, that's Mario.
...and Zelda. This one I'm not so familiar with. You're getting into that territory where it was uncool to like video games.
Sister!
Dad's excellent photog skills.
Southern shoes.
Cici after the game! She was about to go get some free pizza, so I'd have that smile on my face, too.
Much cooler than I was as a band kid, I'm sure.
NC State ended up winning, 28-14! Don't let that fool you, though... the third quarter was an absolute snoozer, and I would have been happy for ANYONE to do SOMETHING. Lots of dropped passes and turnovers, but a W is a W, I suppose.
I've been forbidden by my U.Va. friends from going to any more games in Charlottesville, since apparently my presence makes them lose. I think something else might be at work there.
I guess it's that season in life when most (and by "most", I mean "all") of my friends are getting married, and I can't lie, even though it's overwhelming at times, I love it more than red velvet and cream cheese. Which is hard to fathom, really.
But I have some exceptional friends who have not only invited me to their weddings, but asked me to take their engagement pictures! And not only that, but they have put my reputation on the line by publishing those pictures in the form of widely-distributed save-the-date cards, so I have to be on my A-game. Fortunately, my friends have Martha Stewart-level taste and have picked out some adorable cards, and I just have to share them with you!
Amy and Scott are getting married in February, and she chose this picture that was taken on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial...
...and Lauren and John are getting married in just a couple weeks! Their picture is from the Lincoln Memorial.
Both got their save-the-dates from Wedding Paper Divas, and I think they're precious. Plus, if I had a wedding paper business, I would totally call it that.
And if you're looking to save a little cash on buying envelopes for all your thank you notes (which you must write. I don't care if you're getting married or having a baby or just going to someone's backyard ice cream fiesta, just write a thank you note. It's a non-negotiable in life, and guess what? It makes that person want to invite you back/give you more gifts. I fail to see the inconvenience here.), you can do like Bob and Clara and just get postcards printed after your super creative photographer (ahem) hands you a couple chalkboard tablets and lets you go to town.
Three cheers for being part of the wedding without being in the wedding party!
Y'all. I never, ever put my blog post titles in all capital letters, but this post just deserves them. On Wednesday night, I basically fulfilled a childhood dream, screamed my face off, and sealed the deal on a happy death all in two hours.
I GOT TO SEE HANSON!!!
You may not understand, and that's ok. But my sister, who watched their VHS documentary with me over and over and over again, and my parents, who heard their first album play over and over and over again, will understand. They were my first real musical crush. (And now they're all married and have kids, but I just think that makes them more adorable.)
I went to this concert with my friend, Jen, and we just acted twelve years old the whole night, gripping each other's arms and jumping around and singing VERY loudly... you may not have recognized me.
First, we went to dinner at a cute little restaurant in Falls Church called Clare and Don's Beach Shack, and it really felt like we were at the beach! It was precious. Our waiter was awful, but we had fun anyway and kind of were more concerned about the concert than what he was doing.
I WANT these knives! They have fish tails!
The theater! My, how their venues have shrunk. But that's ok, because it was easier to see them!
The lines did wrap around the whole building, though. All people our age. No Beliebers in sight.
Taylor...
Isaac...
...and Zac! Zac was always my favorite. I technically wasn't allowed to take these pictures, which is why they stink and are kind of unfocused. But I have them! Thank you, telephoto lens. Believe it or not, I was in the balcony.
For each show, they feature a different album and then play all the oldies that everyone loves (so yeah, I sang MMMBop at the top of my lungs).
Hands down, it was the best concert I've ever been to. Not because they were better than any band I've ever seen (though, that may be the case), but because I was just so excited to be there. I can't believe it took me fourteen years, but I did it! And for $35. Yes, please.
Just behold this '90s greatness. It really doesn't get better.
And their new album is fantastic, too! Very Big Band-y. Check it out here!
