a house divided

I'm so lucky to have roommates who love college football as much as I do!  There really is nothing more I would rather do on a Saturday than go to a game, but when I can't, watching as many as I can at home is almost as fun (Clara makes cookies, sooooo... win-win)!  Last weekend, the ACC royally stunk.  I mean like three-week old Indian food coated in dog poo.  And some of them lost to some really terrible teams!  (Looking at you, Virginia Tech.)  I try to keep reminding myself that the worse these "good" teams play, the better UNC's chances are at making it to the ACC Championship game this year (conveniently located in Charlotte), but I still don't like to watch the conference suffer, especially when it's known as such a basketball-focused one.  So, last Saturday, when Miami played Ohio State, Clara and I made it a little more fun by having a pre-game photo shoot!  Since she went to college at Cedarville, which is in Ohio, she was pulling for OSU, but I needed Miami to rep for the ACC!  Ohio State won, but the ACC will be back this week.  Oh yes, we will.

The "eye black" is mascara.  Don't judge us.

Major props to NC State for owning Cincinnati last night... what an exciting game!  Get ready for another thrilling weekend of football!  GO HEELS!!!

good times on the metro

I know I've already told y'all a lot about the idiosyncracies of the DC Metro system, and believe me, I discover new ones everyday!  I've even figured out exactly where to stand on the platform so that when I get off at my stop, I'm right next to the escalator and can beast my way to the exit before anyone even knows I was there.  And I've pretty much turned my bus rides into a game, because I always try to finish the Washington Post crossword before I have to get off (I hardly ever do it, and yes, I realize I'm a giant nerd).  Plus, I always wonder if the person next to me is looking over my shoulder and secretly agonizing over the words they know that I haven't filled in yet.  I'd do that if I were them.

Anyway, some people even take their Metro experiences to the next level, capturing them on video for the rest of us to enjoy.  Here are a couple of my favorites!





(I've never actually been on the Metro late enough to see that happen, but believe me, I'll let you know when I do!)

matt hires concert!

Y'all.  I love, love, love Matt Hires.  If you've never heard his music, you need to go here immediately.  The first time I saw him was at Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill this past spring, and at the time he was just an opening act for Needtobreathe, so he didn't have his backup band or anything.  He was still incredible, and one of my best friends, Danielle, and I even got our picture with him!

Well, it's kind of amazing that only six months later, even with a new job and being in a completely different city, I was able to see Matt again!  Except, this time, it was better because he was the main act and got to play a lot longer than half an hour.  I'm also VERY lucky that Molly and I have nearly identical taste in music, so she was there with me without hesitation!  So, on Monday night, we headed off to Jammin' Java in Vienna (which has delicious food and lots of space... it's basically my new favorite) and had a BLAST! 

The opening act was Michael Grubbs, the lead singer of Wakey!Wakey!  He was AMAZING.

Then Matt came out, and Molly will tell you... I freaked out!

These next two are basically the same as getting a picture with him, right?  Right?

We really did want to get a picture with him at the end, but there were some "blonde amazons" (Molly's words) who were monopolizing his time, so we just left.  But not before getting a picture with the poster for next week's concert...

BRENDAN JAMES!!!  I have never in my life been to more than one concert in two weeks, but I am about to come unglued to see him!  He graduated from UNC a few years before I did, and you may remember him from my Top Ten on the Tenth post last Friday.  I have been listening to his new album non-stop since it came out last Tuesday, and I think I have Molly equally addicted.  To hear all of his new songs, go here.

And if you've really never heard Matt Hires before, here's a little taste of what you're missing (even though it does him no justice).  Seriously, go download his stuff!

I know I post a lot of videos, but...

...this guy is amazing!  Molly posted the first one on her facebook page last week, and I think I instantly fell in love.  Not only are these songs inherently fantastic, but his voice is incredible, and (let's be honest) he is SO cute!  Too bad I spotted a wedding ring in one of them.  :(  His name is Mike Tompkins, and if you end up loving him as much as I do, here's his facebook page!

To hear his version of Miley's Party in the USA, go here!

nationals v. marlins

First of all, happy birthday to my lovely cousin, Cianne!  Love you, sweet girl!

I have officially been to my first Nats game!  I mean, the Nats are pretty terrible, especially since losing Strasburg (their best pitcher), but it was still fun to be at an MLB game for the first time since my family left Atlanta!  (And tickets were $10.  Kinda hard to beat.)  The weather has been absolutely beautiful in DC for the past week, so Molly and I really couldn't have asked for a better Friday night!

Molly driving to the game!  We were stuck in neverending traffic, but Molly is one of my most favorite people with whom to be caught in traffic, because we literally know all the words to every song on the radio.  And we sing them.  Loudly.  Sometimes receiving unwanted attention.

I thought it might rain, but it never did!

Beautiful sky from the second level of Nationals Park.

Molly and her Ben's Chili Bowl cheese fries.  Ben's is a DC institution, so make sure you try it if you ever come to a game!

Presidents' Race!  I love that the Nats' mascots are ten-foot-tall presidents and a bald eagle.  Hilarious!  (You might want to click on this picture to get a better idea of what I'm talking about...)

I love my Molly!

Fireworks after the game, win or lose!  (Which is good, because we lose a lot.)

Definitely no post-season for the Nats this year, but that's ok... it's just fun to have a pro team aside from the Redskins to cheer on!

top ten on the tenth

I wish my life were exciting enough to have a new adventure to share with you all everyday, but, funny enough, work actually eats up a lot of my time!  Sometimes I need a post that has little to nothing to do with what I've been up to so I can stock up on things to share next week. 

A couple weeks ago, Molly suggested that since I'm such a lyrics police and there are few things I'd rather do than sing and dance in the car, I should try to predict the Top 40 songs every month.  Well, there are two things wrong with that:  1) Half of the current Top 40 will still be there next month, so that's kind of cheating, and 2) Some of the music I like is pretty weird and would never get radio time.  And I want you guys to love what I love, so I just decided that on the tenth of every month, I'll post my top ten favorite songs right now!  I'll admit (somewhat ashamedly), some of the songs I like have to be bleeped out a little on the radio, so I'm going to try to keep it as clean as possible for the internet.  Those of you who know me probably already know which songs those are anyway. ;)  Oh, and you may have to bear with some short commercials if I post the official music video.

So, here is my first Top Ten on the Tenth!  Stay with me all the way to the end, because my favorite is at the bottom.

10.  Stuck Like Glue - Sugarland




9. Come and Get It - Eli Reed  (the Washington Post loved this one, and if you love oldies, you will, too!)




8. Still Your Song - Goo Goo Dolls




7. Be My Thrill - The Weepies




6. Bottoms Up - Trey Songz  (your hip-hop for the month.)




5. Teenage Dream - Katy Perry (I'm posting this video because the real one is not one I really want on my blog...)




4. Mine - Taylor Swift




3. Take It Off - Ke$ha




2. You - Michael Warren




...and #1 is...

Nothing for Granted - Brendan James (he was a Clef Hanger at UNC, and his new album just came out on Tuesday!  Go get it!)




Happy Friday!

my morning routine...

...would probably be a lot brighter if I had half the enthusiasm of this little girl!  Talk about an optimist!