Happy Happy Weekend Full of Happy Photos!

Busy weekend: After I was finally feeling better last week I had a pretty busy weekend here in happy photo land :-)

#28: On Thursday I bought a new perch for my favorite kitty.  Watching "My Cat From Hell" while laid up on the couch sick inspired me to give my sometimes aggressive girl some more high up space to take in the world from.  She's still a little skeptical of it's suitability for her needs but she's checking it out regularly and then dive bombing whoever is relaxing on the couch.  Note to self: do not leave beverages on that end table.

#29: I went on a nice walk on Friday with some friends and we did a little off roading on some of the dirt trails at Kinder Farm Park.  It was a fun time exploring... I had no idea these beautiful little nooks were tucked back in the park.  

#30: Concert Time!  My best concert bud (and friend extraordinaire in general) Tammy and I drove down to Southern Maryland to see Cole Swindell and Lee Brice.  The show was great and the fans were absolutely crazy for their Lee Brice but the most entertaining moment of the night might have come when we were waiting in line for the port-a-potty.  Picture a long line of port-a-potties each with their own line of patiently waiting (ok not everyone was patient) concert goers who have probably drank too much beer and suddenly one line just stops moving (our line of course!) All of the other lines keep moving but ours just keeps on standing still and no one is exiting our nice little portable bathroom.  And then about 15 minutes later a man AND a woman come out and quickly exit stage right.  WHAT!?!?  REALLY?!?  I have to say that aside from my absolute shock (and the gross factor) half of the entertainment came from the potty mouthed yet adorable young woman behind us in line who was indignantly angry that they were taking up our potty while she really had to pee. "Priorities People!"

#31: Nature walk on Sunday -- an awesome and incredibly silly person taught me that you can take seed pods (we called them helicopters) and pop the seed out of the one end and then magically the sticky parts can be stuck to your nose!  or wherever I guess, but its fun having a seed pod nose :-)

#32: a karate class full of 4 year olds... need I say more.  So much cuteness in one room I could hardly stand it.  I think the most skilled little ninja of course is the one pictured :-) He gets all of his coordination skills from his Aunt Jenny!

Music To My Ears and Happy Photo #23

One of my awesome friends and I have hit a few concerts recently with another one on the way next week and we are having a blast as always.

This past Saturday we hit up the Delaware State Fair to see Lady Antebellum and Joe Nichols and for the first time in our concert going dates we had PIT tickets... and let's just say it's going to be hard to want to buy normal seats EVER AGAIN!  It was so much fun to be standing in the very front row and we found there was actually much more space to move around in the pit then we have ever had in our assigned seats or even on the lawn... we had plenty of room to dance around and somehow there were no overly intoxicated fans running into us... this had been an ongoing problem for us in the past...I was beginning to think we were magnets :-)

Anyway - Lady A is incredible live... one of the best concerts I've ever seen... they sound great and and they do a lovely job interacting with their fans, something I find country musicians are lots better at doing than other genres.  So go see them.  Or go see any live music, there are plenty of free summer concerts happening and it's a lovely way to spend an evening.  If you're local to Anne Arundel County, check out the Dept of Recreation and Parks Summer Concert Series or if you are a Carroll County native check out Sam Hunt at the Carroll County Fair this Saturday evening (this one isn't free- but it's a nominal $15 fee and it's a great organization).

So get out there and enjoy some tunes... at the very least turn on your boom box (is that still an actual thing or is it all just ipods now) in the back yard and enjoy some music under the stars... It's good for the soul :-)

Just for fun... here are some pictures from our awesome time last weekend!

Change is a good thing

Hello again!

I was just thinking how awesome it is that spring is almost here, how there's just one more week until I can add an hour of daylight to my evening and start running with friends again outside and not on a stinking treadmill... and what's it calling for? Snow!  I say yuck!  But I have some friends who are really hoping for a snow day so because I'm an awesome pal I suppose I will join team "please please please mother nature can we have a huge blizzard this week."  Maybe a snow day will give me time to do some writing, blogging, crafting or reading... ok.. so now I'm fully behind this possible weather event.

Owning 2013 update:  So far so good :-)  It's been a rough few years of changes and adjustments for me but so far 2013 has brought me good stuff.   In February I interviewed for a promotion at work and in early April I start the new gig.  I couldn't be more excited for this new challenge!  I know I've worked hard for this but I can't help but also think that things work out the way they're supposed to.  The timing and job and location and well everything couldn't have worked out better for me and I'm so very very thankful for the opportunity and adventure that awaits.

Not nearly as exciting but I did also cross reading Catcher in the Rye off my list and I've been to the gym twice in the last 3 days (and I'm about to eat ice cream as a reward.. lol)

 
Books I've Read:
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - I gave this 4 stars on goodreads...but I probably am more of a 4.5 for it.  It's not up there with my absolute, all time favorites but I really did enjoy this book.  I know I'm opposite of a lot of my reading friends on this but I sort of liked Holden Caulfield though I also believe that you don't have to love a narrator/protagonist to appreciate a book.  While I can certainly see why some would find Holden the most whiny character ever to live inside a book I also feel like Holden felt genuine to me.  He's lost, on the brink of adulthood, reaching out repeatedly to adults who don't really provide him with the guidance he needs and obviously severely affected by the death of his brother Allie.  To me Holden is someone who's searching for direction, meaning, and mostly identity.  He's stuck somewhere in between. 
For some great thoughts on Catcher in the Rye check out John Green's Crash Course on it...lots of interesting stuff to think about.  I'll be honest...John Green's the reason I wanted to read Catcher so badly and it did not disappoint.

Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins - I gave this one 4 stars too and I'm ok with giving classics and books I read for pure enjoyment the same credit.. they serve different purposes and this book filled the "I want to read a sweet book where everything turns out ok in the end" niche very nicely. Check out the link to goodreads for a description... it's a perfect snow day book and if you're a Marylander you might need that this week!


Song I'm loving right now:  I heard a clip of this on the 93.1 Future File on Friday and then immediately went searching on my phone right where I was (don't worry I was parked and not driving).  I love their song Postcard from Paris and this is certainly different but it's got an addictive beat and pretty fun lyrics.  Sorry guys... it's full of man-hating girl power. They'll be playing in Columbia in May if anyone is interested!!

 

 

Hope everyone has a good week :-) Catch you soon! 

Glam bands and Librarians and Food... Oh My!

OK... so the three things in my blog title aren't all a part of one great story I'm going to share... but they could be!

Just over a week ago I was at the Maryland Library Association conference in Ocean City and had a great time!  I got to room with an old friend and a new one, caught up with some fantastically fun librarians from around the state, ate some great food and learned a thing or two along the way!  There's something really cool about coming together with peers, sharing ideas and having a common desire to better libraries for our communities... and also, I don't know if you've noticed but librarians aren't stereotypically boring but actually quite a bit of fun to hang out with. 

Along the way we ate at some tasty restaurants and one that I would HIGHLY recommend is Liquid Assets.  It appears to be a liquor store/bar at first glance but they also serve some amazingly delicious food.  I had the deluxe grilled cheese (spectacular) and shared and order of their donuts for dessert... the glaze was out of this world.

After spending time away from home for a few days last week...this weekend was all about some quality time with my husband and a plethora of 80's rock bands.  We went to the M3 Festival on Friday and Saturday and rocked it out with Firehouse, Lita Ford, and Whitesnake.  You can tell by the link that there were lots of other bands there but in my opinion those are the three most worth mentioning.  By the way... I think that if you are going to tour again 20 years later and were once known as a "hair band" that you should still have long crazy hair... or fake it (Firehouse - I'm talking to you!)  It just wasn't the same experience watching a few of the bands with shorter manes... just saying.  Props go to Lita Ford and Whitesnake for keeping the long locks in great shape! In between the bands I had a great time people watching...people wear, say and do pretty silly things at rock concerts and I never got tired of just sitting back and taking it all in.

Unfortunately I don't have much to report on my 101 things to do list... I accomplished some things (I ordered fish a few more times in restaurants and knocked that off the list and went to a few more classes at the gym) but nothing earth shattering or terribly exciting. I'll get back to it this week... I hope to get to the gym a few times, get some outdoor running in, and hopefully squeeze in a trip to a state park with my happy hound.