Holland

Two weeks ago, I booked a plane ticket and flew to the land of tulips and windmills with my boyfriend. When we got to the airport in Amsterdam, the guys at customs asked where I was going and I said “Amersfoort” with the worst Lake Erie accent. Maybe I should attempt to learn Dutch other than from a funny cd in the car? His family lives on a boat and also have a hotel boat on this pretty little canal in an adorable city. It kind of reminds me of Quebec. When I met his family, I felt like I already had. They are so sweet and welcoming. His dad made us breakfast and then we got settled into our own area of the boat. It was like our own apartment, but I’ve lived on a ship and not a boat so it took some getting used to. 

He gave me a tour of the city and along the way he showed me the coolest chandelier that he helped put up under one of the bridges next to this giant castle-like wall I saw on Pinterest. There are beautiful homes with gardens along the water and tons of shopping. 

For dinner, his siblings came over for incredible Indonesian food that his mom was in the kitchen all day making. I think that eating in Europe is different than the US. I grew up snacking all day and eating larger portions. I don’t think they really snack there and then they actually enjoy what they’re eating at times when you’re actually supposed to eat. Maybe that is why everyone is skinny and pretty there. 

Completely Charmed Kinda Life

Third Eye Blind: a band that can evoke multiple emotions and memories with a single eloquently constructed song. Their music makes me nostalgic, especially during the fall season. I can’t recall one of their songs not containing at least one indelible line. Blinded, Motorcycle Drive by, and Crystal Baller were the anthems of my high school career; Dao of St. Paul, The Background and Wounded remind me of a difficult time in college many years ago; and Semi-Charmed Life and Never Let You Go, among others, have been there for the fun times. 

Stephan Jenkins

This year, for their 20^th anniversary, they are back on the road. Thanks to a social media addiction, I found out that pre-sale tickets were available and that the code was out there for all to see. Turns out, my roomie is equally as addicted to their moving music and we immediately got tickets for their NYC show. I have always wanted to meet them and see what goes on behind the scenes of a group with just the right amount of fame and a cult-like following. When I told her that 3eb followed me back on Twitter she informed me that this gave me the ability to send a direct message. Not expecting to hear a thing, I messaged my long-time band of choice asking if it would be possible to meet them. I received a simple, “This is” response. When I inquired further, they told me to remind them and they would put me down for passes at the ticket booth. Upon thanking them, they told me to thank my parents for making me pretty. Gotta love boy bands!

After briefly freezing our asses off outside of Irving Plaza, we made our way inside for a night of singing along at the top of our lungs. 3eb employee extraordinaire, The Duchess instructed us to go straight to the merch table to pick up our wristbands for the after show festivities. Then we lost ourselves in the sold out crowd. The opener, Show Girls was decent and off the stage within 30 minutes. 3eb opened the show with Losing a Whole Year and went on to play hits including Bonfire, Semi-Charmed Life, I Want You and Slow Motion in addition to several new songs. Stephen Jenkins brought up the late Lou Reed. I grew up listening to The Velvet Underground and it was cool to hear him share how inspired he was by Reed, stating that he learned from him that you can sing about things you can never even talk about. 

The aftermath.

After the show, we went upstairs to meet the guys. I got a quick picture with Stephen and then Brad chatted with us for a bit. He told me that they want to try to start recording their next, and word on the street, final album in January. I also befriended Alex, a fellow Ohioan and newer addition to the band. He told us if we ever want to see mass amounts of tour buses, the ideal place for this is the Secaucus Walmart parking lot at night. Pretty funny. The night was definitely more William and less Penny Lane though if you catch my drift.

Happy 20th Third Eye Blind!

Here Comes Pippa Boo Boo

Last weekend, my royal biotch, Pippa, competed in her first dog show. It was very much like the episode of Sex & The City where Charlotte enters Elizabeth Taylor in Westminster...very much. People are hardcore. Even more so than with beauty pageants. Someone carried their Bearded Collie around their neck like a scarf so it wouldn't get dirty. My best friend, Courteny lives close by and was able to come! It was so nice to see her before she started her dream with Charlottesville Ballet. On the first day, Pippa won 1st place and winner of the winners in the puppy category. On the 2nd and 3rd days, she forgot her manners and jumped all over the judge. At least she is entertaining and more than just a pretty face. Like my favorite line from The OC goes, "People are always going to talk, might as well give them something good to talk about." And that she did.

We got to babysit this guy for a bit!

Werk.

I wanted to steal this one!

Gettin' Crafty

I was browsing Refinery 29 and found this fun art project. I used to love to paint with watercolors and decided to give it a try. It's not perfect, but I  think it turned out really neat. 

Choose a design for the background. I decided to do a flag since 

our house is filled with all things British.

Next, you need to tape out the pattern for the top layer. I chose to use 
the chevron pattern as seen on the Refinery 29 site.

I selected silver since there is already white in the flag.