Amsterdam

One day we got up early and caught the train to Amsterdam. We took a boat on the canal to the Rijksmuseum, passing pretty bridges, homes and boats along the way. The museum contains a famous Rembrandt painting call “Night Watch,” which can also be found in statue form at a nearby square. 

Spring in Holland is perfection.

A highlight was taking pictures on the I Amsterdam sign with the museum in the background. 

We found a little shop and had the best fries ever (covered in mayo). We also went to this sandwich place where I tried these fried ball things stuffed with what tastes like mashed potatoes. 

No coffee here!

There were “coffee shops” everywhere advertising magic mushrooms and other things that are very illegal in the US.

Everyone in this city rides a bike. We even saw a biker get hit by a car! I would be terrified to drive or bike here. 

I bought the slippers!

Next up was a carnival in front of the palace. We rode the ferris wheel which had amazing views of the entire city. We also tried chocolate covered stroopwafals…OMG!! Then we hopped on a tram to another I Amsterdam sign which was in front of the opera house. His mom and sister surprised me and took me to see the Dutch National Ballet. It was incredibly sweet and absolutely gorgeous. The show was called “Dutch Doubles” and 4 pieces were performed, all very different. My favorite was a classical dance with costumes designed by Viktor & Rolf. The tutus were square! 

Finally, we met up with the guys and walked around the Red Light District.  Crazy. The girls in the RLD were actually attractive. They are all in red lit rooms and if the curtain is closed it means they are workin hard for that $... 

On our way back to the train, we stopped at this place with this vending machine looking wall with hot food. We need those in the US!  I'm so happy to have had such great tour guides. I saw everything I wanted to see and more. 

This train station gives Grand Central a run for its money. 

Tulips & Windmills

On my second day in Holland, we got up early and drove in a vintage Porsche to the Keukenhof tulip gardens. All you see are fields of color. We went inside a windmill that overlooked the fields, tried on some massive clogs, and had fresh stroopwafals (my fav!) After I got some fun souvenirs, we drove around in search of more colorful flower fields. Perfect place. Perfect weather. Perfect day. 

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!