Beach Boys Concert!

I have said many times I was born in the wrong decade. Sometimes I think I'm a 60 year old trapped in a 29** year old body. I would rather watch reruns of The Dick Van Dyke Show or Leave It To Beaver on Netflix than Modern Family or New Girl (no disrespect to either show. I've never seen them so I couldn't tell you if they are good or not). In most cases, on a movie night I would rather watch something that starred Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck, or Audrey Hepburn. Or just about anything else that airs on the Turner Classic Movies channel. I would rather listen to a "Best of the 50s and 60s" Pandora station than "Today's Top Hits". I know, I'm just weird. Actually, I don't think I'm weird, I think I'm unique (which is just a fancy word for weird, but I'm going with it). I've been told MANY times I have an "old soul". I agree. 

**Okay, I'm not 29, let's move on!**

If you have been following my blog for a while, you already know this. I went to see Davy Jones (may he rest in peace) and David Cassidy back in 2010. If you missed that, you can check that post out here. Then in 2013 I went to see the (remaining) Monkees in concert (you can check out that post here). Both times I went with my college roommate Mel (who also love oldies music and is always willing to check out a concert of an "oldies" group). Last night we were able to go to The Beach Boys concert (oddly enough, at the same venue where we saw the other concerts).

We got to the Verizon Theater in Grand Prairie just as the front doors had opened, so we debated if we wanted to buy anything from the merchandise table (we passed- that time) and then found a bench to sit on (the main doors weren't open yet because the band was doing a sound check). While waiting for the doors to open, we found out that the Verizon Theater has a Mazda VIP suite for Mazda drivers (and their guests). I am a Mazda driver, so we took advantage of that. It was a nice suite complete with a "refreshment" area and even had seating in the arena portion if you wanted to stay there during the concert. Our seats were a tad bit closer to the stage, so we opted not to stay.

I love going to these concerts because the age range of the fans usually varies. We saw a lot of older men walking around in Hawaiian shirts, which was cool. There were a few people who looked younger than us, or maybe some about our age, but a good amount of the crowd had obviously been Beach Boys fans since the beginning. The concert was great. There were only two members of the original Beach Boys there (Mike Love and Bruce Johnston). There is a long, messy story about a "disagreement" that has torn the surviving members apart, but I'm too lazy to type about it (and honestly, most of you probably don't care, so why waste my time). :) Mike and Bruce were two of my favorites, so I was okay that they were the only ones there (for you Full House fans, you may remember their appearance here). The rest of the "new" Beach Boys band did a fantastic job as well. For a lot of the concert, there was a beach ball being thrown around the crowd. It was just a fun atmosphere. 

Before and during the concert

During intermission, I broke down and bought a tour shirt. After the concert Mel decided she wanted to buy a souvenir program so we went back to the merchandise table. I wasn't going to get one originally since I had already spent a good amount of money on a shirt, but I decided at the last second to buy one as well.

When Mel and I go to concerts at the Verizon Theater, we usually hang around the stage door to see if anyone is signing autographs. After the Monkees concert, there was a huge crowd by the stage door (sadly none of the group signed that night). We were kinda shocked that no one else was there after this concert. We stayed there a good 30-40 minutes, making small talk with the nice security guard. We eventually saw Bruce walk out and get on the bus. A few minutes later, the bus started backing up, so we figured we were out of luck. The bus had to drive by where we were standing and it stopped right in front of us. The security guard spoke to the bus driver and he said Bruce was willing to sign for us. **Thank you to the nice bus driver who had noticed us waiting and told Bruce, and he said he would stop.** Originally we were going to hand him our programs, but he was like, "it's cold out there and you aren't wearing jackets, come on in here." (Mom: Ignore that part about me not wearing a jacket. It was 80 degrees when we went inside the theater, I didn't realize it was going to cool off so much). Mike had left earlier, but we were able to meet Bruce. He was super nice and signed our programs and took pictures with us. He wanted to make sure he knew our names, and used them when he said bye. He thanked us for coming to the concert and we thanked him for stopping. Super cool moment.

I'm so glad that I decided last minute to get a program! :)

Yes, it was another adventure in my so-called exciting life. Thank you for letting me share!

XOXO!

My So-Called Life...

It's hard to believe that this time next week it will be NOVEMBER. Seriously, where did 2013 go? It seems like only yesterday I was moving and excited about getting settled into my new apartment. The saying about time speeding up as you get older is true (I don't like it, I really wish time would slow down some).

Anyways, I'm sure it's no surprise to any of you that I've been staying busy. I had actually taken a few days off work this week to just stay home and relax, and I ended up getting sick late Sunday night, so I pretty much stayed in bed for two days with a migraine headache. Well, I guess that is ONE way to get me to slow down, but it wasn't quite the time off I was wanting.

October has been a crazy busy month. Sadly it did NOT include Rangers playoff baseball like I had hoped, but I had other things to keep me busy. I went to two weddings for some dear friends of mine. My friend Forrest and I have known each other for over twenty years, and my friend Jonathan and I have been friends since college. Not sure what these people were thinking planning their weddings during college football season. ;) No comment if I checked my Sportscenter app for scores during the weddings. :) It was cool that at both weddings I ran into friends I hadn't seen in years. It was fun times! Congrats to both couples! :)

I missed the State Fair of Texas last year so I made sure to make a trip out there this year. I went on a beautiful day, it was sunny and in the high 60s (maybe low 70s). I also went on a weekday, so it wasn't as crowded. I wanted to get out there to see the new Big Tex. Some of you might remember Big Tex burned last year (it was a sad, sad day).

The new Big Tex. He just wasn't the same.

They had a Big Tex memorial set up (no lie, people could actually leave a note for Big Tex). It was kind of cool to see the history of Big Tex. He started out as this creepy looking Santa. The only thing that survived the fire was his belt buckle. They had one of the original heads and hats in there too. There was also a video on the making of the new Big Tex. 

As you can tell, I got a little emotional at the memorial site. (For those who don't know me, I'm totally kidding.) ;)

I didn't take as many pictures as I usually do, but I did get some in the arts and craft arena. That is where they have the butter sculpture. Every year they have something sculpted out of butter. Yeah, I don't know why, but it's a big deal.

Butter sculpture is in the top right corner. They used over two tons of butter to make it. I personally wanted to steal the Rangers wreath (top left). I bet that idea came from Pinterest!

The Superman 75th Anniversary Costume Tour made a stop at our state fair. It featured Superman costumes worn during various Superman movies and TV shows. We got there right as they were packing it up, but the guy was nice enough to bring the photo of Dean Cain back out to the Lois and Clark exhibit As you know, I loved that show, and Dean Cain.

 

My friend B is another Lois and Clark fan (when he calls me, it's the Lois and Clark theme song. Yes, I'm a nerd). He had to keep me from taking the Dean Cain photo. And the suit. :)

We stayed until 10:00, which was the first time that I can remember staying at the fair until closing. The light show they had set up was really pretty, sadly my cell phone camera doesn't do it justice, but it was still cool. Even though we didn't ride the Texas Star (Ferris wheel) this year, I did snap a few pictures of it.

This past weekend my friend Mel and I made the drive to Ennis (about 40 miles south of Dallas) for a Dukes of Hazzard Cast Reunion (don't judge). It was a two day event, but we only made the Sunday portion of it. Sadly the guy who played Bo Duke was only there on Saturday, so we missed out on meeting him. BUT, it will happen one day, mark my word (Bo was my favorite). We met Tom Wopat in 2007 (Luke Duke), but we got another picture with him anyways. We also met Catherine Bach (Daisy Duke). She was super sweet. She kept telling me she liked my Cowboys shirt. She made small talk with everyone and didn't seem to rush people away. They said the day before the reunion closed at 5, but she stayed until 7 so that everyone in line could get an autograph and picture. We also met Rick Hurst, who played Cletus. He was funny. Mel and I were just gonna do a picture with him together, but he insisted on taking individual ones too. We didn't get our picture with him, but Sonny Shroyer, who played Enos, talked to us for a brief moment. And we got to see James Best (Rosco P. Coltrane). It cost $50 to get a picture with him, so we passed. I tried to snap a picture of him but he was looking down. And, we got to sit behind the wheel of the General Lee (well, one of them). It was a fun day.

Top left is Enos and bottom middle is Roscoe, who is looking down.

I have one more big event this month- the Jason Aldean concert tomorrow night! I'm so excited, it feels like we got the tickets forever ago. It should be a lot of fun. Yes, I'll post pictures (with the way I'm updating my blog, it will probably be NEXT year before I recap it). ;) I'll leave you today with a little Jason Aldean. HAPPY FRIDAY!! XOXO!

Never Ever Ever...

Click here for more Never Ever Ever posts!

Never Ever Ever...

...will I NOT enjoy a Brad Paisley concert. His concert Saturday night was awesome!

Lee Brice and Chris Young opened for Brad. They were great! 

View from our lawn seats 

Chris Young is there somewhere!

Brad!

Me and Laura looking adorable in our cowboy hats!

...would I have believed that Geovany Soto would snap a Rangers four-game losing streak with a walk-off home run! Hello win column (finally!)

...will I NOT sigh when I see a picture of Luke Bryan. There is a reason he won my Men Madness Bracket! ;)

Luke Bryan playing baseball...even better. :)

...will I understand guys. Men always say that women are complicated, but I beg to differ- you guys are just as confusing. Yeah, there is a story behind this. No, I'm not going to share.

...will I NOT laugh at something that makes fun of Ford. :)

...will I pass up an opportunity to take a picture of me wearing a hat. :)

Me and my friend Monica wearing the giveaway fedoras at the Rangers game earlier this month.

Happy Tuesday! 

XOXO!

TGIF...............kinda...

Normally I look forward to Fridays. For one, well, it's the start of the weekend, and two, I am normally off work by 11:30a. This week is a little different. I'm having to put in a lot of overtime this week, so I will be at work until 10:30 tonight AND I have to work Sunday 9-5. If you don't hear from me at some point next week, I didn't survive. :) It's okay, I don't really mind working the overtime, it's just for a few weeks. I AM looking forward to tomorrow night though (my one day off work). My friend Laura and I are going to hopefully see Brad Paisley in concert. We tried to go last year, and it got rained out. It's raining right now, but the forecast is predicting it will be sunny tomorrow. Like I've said before, I try not to complain about rain in Texas during July, BUT I am making deals with the "weather gods" so the concert will go on. I've been to several Brad Paisley concerts, he usually puts on one of the best shows I've ever seen. I'm really looking forward to it! :)

Me and the BFF at Brad Paisley concert in 2010

Me and Lyn at Brad Paisley in 2011

Me with Khrystal and Laura before the rain started last year at the Brad Paisley concert

We waited two hours only to have the concert canceled. :(

Thought I would post some Brad videos for your listening enjoyment today! Happy weekend!

XOXO!!

Mobile Monday

Happy Monday my lovelies! I hope you had a great weekend! Mine was pretty good. I had a BLAST at the Rock & Worship Show on Friday night with my friends Mel and Laura. Anytime I go to a concert like that, I leave feeling so uplifted, it was great!

Killing time with Laura while riding the DART train to the AAC

Waiting for the concert to start with Mel!

Group shot with my gals!

We had really good seats. I was able to buy them through my work for a discounted price. I just put best available (it was the same price for all tickets). They had us on the second row by the floor area. It was great!

Kutless

Jeremy Camp, who I love love love! He's my favorite!

MercyMe, another one of my favorite artists!

Saturday I went to the southside of town where I used to live and had dinner with my Dallas "moms". One of them was the same one I stayed with when I first got back to town. I think her cat Miss Foxie missed me! As soon as I sat down, she cuddled up next to me.

Saturday night my friend Monica and I went to the see zombie movie Warm Bodies. It was actually pretty funny. I found out if you have the Cinemark app and put it on "Cinemode" during the movie, afterward you get a coupon or discount. Sweet deal! I need to remember to use this anytime I go to a movie.

Sunday I went to church then watched movies with my roommate (who I only get to call my roommate for a few more days, since I move to my new apartment on Saturday). I can't believe my move date is finally here. I'm trying not to stress, I'm hoping I can find enough people to help me move. I'm probably renting a small U-Haul so I can fit everything in it. I just have heavy furniture. And neither my old or new apartment is on the first level (yeah stairs). 

Anyways, I hope everyone had a great weekend! I forgot to post my February Photo Challenge this weekend so you get three pictures today!

February Photo Challenge:

Day 16: Full

Being full of Blue Bell ice cream is the best kind of full there is!

Day 17: Flow

A flowing stream

Day 18: Funny

This makes me laugh. Every time!

XOXO!

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who commented, sent me a tweet, text, or email about my post from yesterday. You never know what kind of reaction you are going to get when you post something like that, and I really appreciate the positive response and support! And thanks to everyone who shared my link. That post got over 200 views! Just...wow!! :) If you missed it and want to read it, click here.

Despite not feeling all that great this week (again, my sinus headache keeps lingering), the week seemed to go by pretty fast. I'm looking forward to tonight, some friends and I are going to the Rock & Worship Roadshow. I'm pretty excited about it, I like a lot of the bands playing! I've gone the past few years to it. Jeremy Camp is one of my favorites! And MercyMe is pretty cool (I met them one time, super nice).

For your listening enjoyment, here are some of my favorites of the group.

February Photo Challenge:

Day 15: Flare

My mom's wedding dress had flare! :)

Have a great weekend!!

XOXO!