Favorite Summer Moments

It has been an interesting summer to say the least.  Not exactly the summer I planned but there have been quite a few fun moments regardless.

As you may remember my youngest sister and I bought Country Mega Tickets at the beginning of the summer.  Our tickets included tickets to 8 country concerts and so far we have attended 6 of them.  There are still 2 left to go but the 6 we have been to so far have been some of my summer highlights.

The first concert of the summer was Toby Keith.  My youngest sister was sick that day but my other sister hadn't moved yet so she came along.  This was our first trip of the year to the venue so we misjudged how long it would take to get there.  We missed the at least the first opening act (we may have missed most of the second one too) but we were there in time to get our beers and get seated in time for the main act.  He was good but it wasn't my favorite concert of the summer.

Both of my sisters came up to see Brad Paisley.  We again missed at least the opening act because of the massive line to get into the venue but as you can see we got some beers and were seated in time for the main event.  I have a special place in my heart for Brad Paisley because he sings what is going to become my first dance song for my wedding next year.  It may not have been my favorite concert I have ever seen but it was pretty darn good.  This was the last concert my middle sister was able to come to with us before she went off to med school so that also made it special.

So at the next concert apparently I failed at taking a selfie to prove I was there but this was my favorite concert of the season so far.  My sister and one of her good friends came up and we saw Lady Antebellum.  We had gotten the hang of the timing thing by this point.  We were there on time and had really good (for the lawn) seats.  I had heard Lady Antebellum were amazing live and all those rumors were true!  They were fantastic!

The clouds were really pretty that night so I had to take a picture.  During one of their songs Lady Antebellum had everyone turn the flashlights on their phone on and the result was beautiful.  It looked like little sparkly lights all around me.

Our next concert of the season was Darius Rucker.  He was quite good live and put on a good show but for some reason the weather was just plain cold that night.  I know I have been complaining that overall the weather has been to hot but somehow that night the venue was a wind tunnel making it way too cold.  We left this concert a bit early because we were cold.

Dierks Bentley was next and he was also quite good.  We got there in time to see everyone we wanted to see, got good seats and brought along delicious food to eat. The weather was much more appropriate for this one but did still end up leaving a bit early too.  Not because we were cold, but because we had a really early flight to catch in the morning to Disneyland.  

Saturday night we went to see Luke Bryan at Levi Stadium.  At the beginning of the evening the sun was directly in our eyes hence the fabulous faces we are making.  The rest of our concerts of the year are at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View but this one was at Levi Stadium (the new 49ers stadium) in Santa Clara.  No, you did not hear my wrong the San Francisco 49ers now play in Santa Clara which is a whole hour south of San Francisco.  I had never been in the stadium before but it is located just down the street from where I went to grad school so thought my years in grad school I watched it being build.  When I started it was just an empty lot/an old parking lot but by the time I graduated the stadium was almost done.

Our Mega Tickets are lawn seats so this translated to nosebleed seats at the stadium.  We were so high up that even during the concert most people stayed sitting down for fear of tumbling down.  We were in a section where we had a pretty good direct view of the stage alas the stage was about a mile away.

The stadium is right next to an amusement park so partway though the show the amusement park fireworks went off right behind the stage.  We were so high up that we had a fantastic view of the fireworks.  As usual my wonderful fiancee dropped us off and picked up.  He dropped us off with no problems but him trying to pick us up was a totally different story.  They closed many of the roads around the stadium after the concert so we had to walk forever to get somewhere that he could get to and come get us.  It was not fun late at night but we survived.  

Luke Bryan was also good but Lady Antebellum is still my favorite of the summer so far.  We still have Tim McGraw and Rascal Flats coming up to round out our summer concert series.  I am probably not going to be able to attend this many concerts in one summer again for a while so I am trying to enjoy the freedom while it lasts.

Erika

Friday Update

Well I am still having Disneyland withdrawals but I am making it through my week.  It doesn't help that I am fighting a cold.

I don't know anyone with a cold so I am guessing some child sneezed on me in the airplane on my way home from Disneyland.  I have had a super busy week at work so staying home hasn't been an option.  I am just going to have to fight through the cold and continue to ignore it.  I look like Rudolph the Red Nosed but I am trying to ignore that too.

After a long week I am looking forward to a weekend at home with my handsome fiancee. I am headed to a Luke Bryan concert with my sister Saturday night but other than that I have grand plans to spend my weekend at home getting things done around the house and getting over this pesky cold.

Yesterday I ordered a couple of dresses on sale and I am super excited to try them on.

I am hoping to wear this dress this winter with some tights and boots and wear it with sparkly sandals right now.  The back is super cute too but I know we are heading toward cooler (not cold, this is California) so I may not get to show it off too long.

It is really hard to tell in the picture but this dress has a really cute knot/gathered detail on the front that takes this dress from plain black dress to super fun.  I am thinking it will be really cute with a statement necklace and heels to dress it up or with a cardigan to wear to work.

I was between a medium and a large on the sizing charts for both dresses so I am a little worried I ordered the right size.  Neither dress is particularly tight in the hips so I went with the medium.  Here's hoping.

Another What's Up Wednesday!

I had fun doing this last few months so I am linking up with What's Up Wednesday again.

What we're eating this week:  This week we are finishing up the last of the turkey chilli I made last week and my fiancee is making some sort of wine based pasta sauce concoction that has sausage, asparagus and artichoke hearts in it.

What I'm reminiscing about: I know I just got back but I am already reminiscing about my trip to Disneyland.  I love Disneyland and am all ready trying to plan another trip back there in the fall to see all the Halloween decorations.

What I'm loving: I am loving that the weather has cooled down a bit.  We had multiple days in the 90s the week before last, but this week and last week we are having much nicer weather.  I can totally handle it when the weather hovers right around 80 this time of year.

What we've been up to: I have been keeping busy at work.  We are rapidly approaching our busiest time of year so there is no shortage of things to do at work.  In addition to my little trip to Disneyland I have gone to a few more concerts with my sister and have another one this weekend.

What I'm dreading: I am trying to keep a positive attitude at the moment.  There are some things happening around me that I have no control over so I am just trying to focus my energy on the positive and not dwell on what I can't change.

What I'm working on: Still working on those darn Save-the-Dates and getting all the addresses I need to send them out.  Last month I said I wanted to send them out in August but that goal was a little out of my reach so it looks like it will be September.  I am also working on a birthday present for my sister-in-law.  I can't say what it is because then it won't be a surprise for her!

What I'm excited about: I am excited that I might be going to LA with my sister in October to go the the Anthropologie wedding dress store.  The only two locations on the west coast are in Seattle and Beverly Hills.  My sister has to go to LA anyway for a conference so we might make a weekend out of it and try on dresses.  There dresses are so pretty and very much my style so I have high hopes of finding something I love.  I am also in love with this dress so if it is still there in October I may just have to try it on.

What I'm watching/reading: I am watching the very last season of Survivor that Hulu has. Most shows don't come back until a month from now so I am going to need something new to watch soon.  The only show I watch that has started its fall season is Project Runway.  It gives me something to look forward to during my week!

What I'm listening to: Mostly whatever comes on my Pandora which is usually a mix of country and a random mix of 90s-00s pop music.  Everyone needs some Britney in their life every once in a while.

What I'm wearing: Still loving my new bulldog tee from The Loft.  I work it to work yesterday with a black pencil skirt and got so many compliments on it.

I also got good use out of my Minnie and Mickey Mouse tee this weekend.  If you can't wear it to Disneyland, where can you wear it?

What I'm doing this weekend: This weekend I am seeing Luke Bryan at Levi Stadium with my sister on Saturday afternoon/evening but other than that I don't have much planned.  I am just going to catch up on some housework, errands and maybe even think about switching out my decorations for something more fallish to encourage the cool weather to stay.

What do you love most about back to school?: I am not heading back to school this year but growing up my favorite part of going back to school was picking out my first day of school outfit. Even in college and grad school I have my first day outfit lots of thought.

A Few Disney Photos

I will do a full recap of my trip to Disneyland later in the week but here are a few photos to tide you over until then.  Enjoy!

Disneyland was all decked out for it's 60th anniversary and there were diamonds everywhere!

I have a special place in my heart for fireworks so we had to see them.

It is hard not to look fabulous in those special glasses they give you before you ride Star Tours but I think we take fabulous above and beyond.

New fancy hair bow to go with my Minnie Mouse t-shirt I bought last time I was in Disneyland.

More details of our adventures to come...

Finally Friday...

You know how some weeks just fly by and before you know it the weekend is here.  Yeah, this wasn't one of those weeks!   This week just seemed to drag on and on.

I have a feeling much of this dragging was due to the fact that I have a super fabulous fun planned with one of my sisters.

She is coming up tonight and we are heading to the next concert in our summer country concert series.  We are seeing Dierks Bentley and some opening acts that I currently can't remember.

We have all our snacks ready to go and are hoping the weather is a bit warmer than it was for the Darius Rucker concert. 

After our concert we are heading back to my place to head right to bed because Saturday morning at the crack of dawn we are flying to...

Disneyland!

We are just going for a quick weekend trip so we fly back Sunday night but we are so excited!

I have all my Disney inspired hair accessories packed and in addition to the ones I had last time I have added a few new ones.  I also bought a new tee last week that I am taking along on my trip.

I am sure I will have plenty of pictures and adventures to share next week.  I love talking about all things Disneyland! Now if only today would go by just a little bit faster I can get to my fabulous weekend!

Who I was in High School

Ok let me just start off by saying high school was an age before cell phone cameras so I was severely limited as to photos.  There were a few that friends and family had scanned and posted on Facebook and a few that I had easily accessible around my house, but that is it.  I know I have more photos but they are buried in boxes that are not easily dug out.

High School Graduation

In high school I was a pretty good student and most of my classes were either AP or Honors.  I didn't really struggle to do well in most of my classes though if I ever see another spelling test (hello junior year english) it will be too soon.  

Fun Fact: I sewed all those yellow stoles for the National Honor Society members to wear to graduation.  

I guess I was a bit of a nerd and had my little group of friends but I had been in the Honors/Gate/AP classes with the same group of kids for years (many since kindergarten) so I was at least friendly with pretty much everyone.  Everyone knew everyone and I was fortunate enough that it was a really good group of kids who where generally nice to each other.  I know there were probably cliques and a bit of not so nice behavior but I really never felt it or was a party to any of it.

Prom

I can't for the life of me find a photo of my little group of friends (though I know there are many) but here is a really bad photo of my two best friends and I at prom.  These two girls and I have known each other since kindergarten.  We don't see each other as often anymore and none of us live in our hometown anymore, but we still try to see each other whenever we are home for holidays and such.

Senior Portrait

I have been working to grow my hair out for my wedding but I cannot believe how long it is in this picture.  I never actually took the time to straighten my hair so it was not this long on a daily basis but wow was it long.  I was on a swim team and I remember going to practice, washing my hair, going to bed with it wet, waking up with it still wet and putting it in a ponytail and then going to practice and getting it wet again.  I am pretty sure I went for days without my hair ever fully drying.  Now I am pretty sure I would break out the hair dryer but in high school I just thought it was fine.

Overall high school was fun experience and I am still friends with most of the same girls I was friends with then.  We see each other when we can and it has been fun to see many of them get married and start families of their own.  They are all invited to my wedding next year and I think many of them will be there to help me celebrate!  Purple and gold forever.  Go Cowboys!

Linking up with Andrea for Show and Tell Tuesday

Turkey Chilli...Yum!

As hot as it was here this weekend I had all the ingredients for a pot of turkey chili, so I went ahead and made it.

The recipe for this chili is incredibly flexible depending on what you have in your fridge/cupboard and how spicy you like things.  Tonight I used:

About 1 lb of ground turkey
A little bit of olive oil
2 bell peppers, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 jalapeno, chopped with the seeds
2 peppers in adobo sauce and about a tablespoon of the sauce
1 can tomato sauce
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can red kidney beans
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
2 tbsp chili powder

• Brown the turkey with a little bit of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat
• Remove the turkey and set it aside on a plate but do not drain the pot
• Using the juices/fat from the turkey sauté the onion, bell pepper and jalepeno in the same pot used to cook the turkey
• Add about half of the spices to the veggie mix
• After the veggies are about 3/4 of the way cooked add the turkey back in along with the tomato sauce and chipotle
• After the mixture comes to a boil add the beans and the rest of the spices
• Let the chili simmer for at least 20 minutes
• Add the cilantro right before you serve

This chili is really good with bit of greek yogurt and some cheddar cheese.  Enjoy!

Here I go again!

Earlier in the year I set out to eat better and move more in an effort to lose weight.  I lost about 15 or so pounds between January and May but this summer has been kicking my butt.  My life has been crazy and busy so the weight loss has stopped.  With all the chaos going on I am happy to say I have only gained pound or two back.

I am giving myself a round of applause for maintaining my weight loss amidst the chaos but it is time to focus on losing a bit more weight.  I have at least 10 pounds to go before I reach the point where I am going to evaluate where I am and if I want to lose more weight or not.  I have a feeling after I lose those 10 pounds I will want to lose another 5 but I will wait and see.

Here is a fairly recent picture of me so you can see my starting point this time.

Back to eating better and moving more. Wish me luck!  Any delicious recipes appreciated!

Stitch Fix #3

I opened my box this month and was really excited.  The colors and patterns were just up my alley.  It didn't turn out as well when I tried things on but hopefully next month things will fit better.

The first shirt was a short sleeved chevron blouse.  I was excited that it had sleeves because this meant I would have been able to wear it to work without needing a cardigan over it.

The sleeves fit fine but at the hem it narrowed.  For someone who does not have small hips this is not a good trait.  It was too small at the bottom so I am sending it back.

I had told the stylist that I need some comfy lounge clothes since I have been spending a lot of time hanging out in my mother-in-laws living room recently.  This is what they sent to fulfill that request.  It was kind of a thin terry cloth material and it clung to every bump.  Nope, that is not going to work.  This too is going back.

I like pencil skirts and I like stripes (almost as much as polka dots) so I had high hopes for this skirt.   I think I would have like this skirt if it had been one size larger.

The material has a bit of a stretch to it but not enough to make a skirt this fitted comfortable.  I have really stretchy striped pencil skirt from The Loft that I love, so even if this had fit I am not sure I would have kept it.  My Loft skirt is so stretchy that it doesn't even have a zipper.  I sent this striped skirt back.

Again I loved the color and pattern on this dress as soon as I pulled it out of the box.  I put it on and then I wasn't so in love.  I had to work really hard to make sure my bra wasn't showing and I am sure if I had been moving around my bra straps wouldn't have been hidden for long.

Another problem with the dress is that it made me look kind of shapeless.  I am anything but shapeless so this was not boding well for me keeping this dress.  I still love the color and pattern but I had admit that this dress was just not made for me.  I sent this one back too.

The last thing in my box was a reversible bag.  Finally something that fit.  Ok, fit is not the right word but I put it on my shoulder and it looked good.

It is a little hard to tell from the pictures but one side is an almost purply wine color and the other is a very neutral taupe.  It is no secret that I love purple so I was intrigued by this bag.  I love a big bag but this bag is a little big even for me to carry on an everyday basis.  This bag will make a great bag for days where I have a bunch of stuff to bring to work.  It will also make a great carry on bag because it will not only fit my laptop but also the other bevy of things required for a plane flight.  Finally, success!  I am keeping this one and am looking forward to taking on my next plane trip in less than 2 weeks.  My sister and I are heading to Disneyland for a quick weekend trip at the end of the month and I am already getting excited.

If you are thinking about trying out Stitch Fix I have a referral link I would love you to use and if you are not thinking about trying Stitch Fix I hope you enjoy the pictures of mine.

Random Thougts for Friday

I have been saying for months (ok, possibly even a year) that I need a new purse.  I have been keeping my eyes out, but had not really found anything I am in love with.  I am not really the type of person who moves their stuff from purse to purse on a regular basis.  I pick a purse and use it to death.

I ordered the Fossil Sydney bag because I loved the teal color and the fact that it zipped all the way up.  I knock my purse over way too much to have a purse that doesn't zip.  I was a little worried that it would be too small.  It is a bit smaller than what I have now, but I am hoping having a bit less room will force me to clean out my purse a little more often.  My shoulders would appreciate that!

I am thinking I will keep this purse but I have not made my final decision yet.  Any opinions?








So I went to the eye doctor at the end of June for a check up and ordered a new pair of glasses.  They came in about 3 weeks ago and I finally made it up to Palo Alto to pick them up.  Don't judge!  I have been busy and my current ones are not broken or anything.

My prescription didn't really change so I am keeping my old pair too.  Since I will now have two pairs of glasses to wear I wanted my new pair to be a different style and color than my old ones.  What do you think?

Yesterday was my mother-in-law's birthday.  We stayed a her house Wednesday night so we could wish her Happy Birthday first thing in the morning before we headed off to work.

After work we met up with my fiancee's siblings and took his mom to a sushi buffet.  She chose this place because she likes their sashimi and because it is free on your birthday.  Soo much food!

We took a group selfie before we got too full.  All in all it was a fun night celebrating her birthday.  I have had my fill of sushi for a while, but I am sure it won't be too long before I am craving it again.

This week I saw a skirt on The Loft website the intrigued me.   It is a white lace and looks comfy and flowy.  I have lots of pencil skirts, but not too many flowy skirts so I decided to go ahead and order it.  I think I will like it (assuming I managed to order the right size), but I won't know for sure until next week when it arrives.

My Stitch Fix box arrived yesterday but I haven't had time to really properly try the stuff on yet.  I got a dress, 2 shirts, a skirt and a bag.  Full report coming next week!

Happy Friday