Everybody’s workin’ for the weekend

I literally counted the minutes until 5 p.m. Friday night. We compiled a rather huge itinerary for the weekend, and I just couldn’t wait to get the party started.

Here’s a quick rundown:

• Friday: Quick bite at our neighborhood pizza joint and off to SE Portland to see one of our favorite musicians, Tyrone Wells, at the Aladdin

• Saturday a.m.: My favorite studio workout class with Schady and Stina followed by pedis and lunch at Baker & Spice—sooo relaxing and much-needed (thanks, girlies!)

• Saturday early afternoon: Packed in a quick run through my favorite shops in my old ‘hood, Multnomah Village…followed by two renditions of Supermarket Sweep at my go-to grocers...and then a beat-the-clock unpacking of said goods, quick clean of the condo, and about five loads of laundry

• Saturday p.m.: The wedding of Michelle and Matt (photos and recap below!)

• Sunday a.m.: Long run on the Wildwood Trail with good friends and a big ol’ breakfast at one of our standbys, Industrial Café

• Sunday early afternoon: The best surprise ever! Cooking class with one of my nearest and dearest friends (***not to worry, this will get a post of its own!)

• Sunday p.m.: Long, *long* overdue movie date night with friends—Taylor had been wanting to see Zero Dark Thirty since it came out, and we’ve tried and failed so many times…since this guy works so many hours during the week and weekend, I am so glad we were able to fit this in.

No matter how hard I tried to fit it all in, though, I failed on two accounts. Taylor’s mom swept through town while I was away from the house Sunday, and none of the church times at either church we attend matched up with the breaks in our plans. I know, I know. That shouldn’t be an excuse.

I am thankful for the jam-packed weekend, which provided a delightful preface to an above average Monday.

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I'm writing this recap (finally!) on March 17. Matt and Michelle have been married for two weeks, and we already received a thank you note from them...yet I'm just now blogging.

Taylor met Matt at Linfield. Matt played basketball, while Taylor tossed around the pigskin. After graduation, the fellas backpacked around Europe together, and they even lived together a bit post-grad.

I believe the story goes that Matt met Michelle through church friends. They had a somewhat on-again-off-again relationship before getting engaged just three months prior to their wedding. You may recall me mentioning how a wedding back in October was our last hurrah before our Big Day. But, Matt and Michelle surprised us with their short engagement.

They got married in a barn at a golf course here not far from where we live. Michelle spends time at her family's ranch, and Matt's a big golfer, so they liked the perfect combination factor (country meets country club) the wedding venue provided.

You could really feel the love at this coral and gray/rustic elegance wedding. I especially liked how overwhelmingly Christ-centered this couple's ceremony was--the perfect start to a lifelong union.

Congratulations to the happy couple, assuredly refreshed and rejuvenated after a honeymoon in Hawaii!

I'm still trying to figure out settings on my new camera. Surprise, surprise, huh? This could take a while...

Many of T's buddies were groomsmen...a good-looking crew.

Michelle looked absolutely gorgeous. I'd only met her once before the wedding, and she told me she picked a dress hse never would have imaged herself in. It was super sparkly with a fluttery (not the right word) bottom-half. Wow. I can't describe gowns very well. 

Cupcakes instead of cake...and you can bet I sampled almost all of them!

Site for the ceremony and reception.

Cute guest book idea--pick a post card and write a message to the new Mr. and Mrs. I chose a Central Oregon card from Taylor and me as Sunriver holds many memories for the newlyweds as it does for us!

A much-needed taste of Texas in PDX

I've tried to spread my love of Texas "Red Dirt" country music all over the Portland metropolitan area and even up to Seattle.

Some of my friends have really glommed on to the musical genre, including my bestie Emily and her hubby Greg. The two of them heard my favorite band, the Randy Rogers Band, was coming to Seattle, so they invited me up to join in the fun. Unfortunately, the concert fell on a Monday, and after a long weekend in the San Juans, I just wasn't up for it.

Luckily, I had a second chance.

My good friend and high school hoops teammate Whitney just moved back to Portland from Sherman, Texas. While in the Lone Star State, Whit also acquired a love of RRB, so she was privy to the fact that the band was making its way down the West Coast, stopping at the Crystal Ballroom Tuesday.

Yeehaw! I counted the minutes until I could see Randy, Brady, and the boys, and I was not disappointed.

Mickey and the Motorcars opened, and then Randy followed. He played for about an hour and a half, and we were maybe three rows deep, right in the middle. It was like he was singing directly to me. He was singing directly to me. I could tell by the way he kept tossing his guitar pick in my direction (although I never ended up catching it).

I know it's dark, but can you see my ear-to-ear grin? I'm RIGHT IN FRONT OF RANDY ROGERS!

I go through waves of extreme homesickness for my beloved Austin (would you still classify it as homesickness, even if it's not technically my home?). This was just what the doctor ordered.

The VIP treatment

Yes, I know my blog is full of unfinished posts and thoughts, and my new blogs aren't much better, but it's time for me to get it together!

The other day, I wrote down a couple experiences I never mentioned in The Story of My Life.

Let me rewind to August, 2009. Rocky and I went with a group of friends to a Randy Rogers Band concert at Nutty Brown Cafe. Hands down, this is one of my favorite bands and also one of my favorite places to see a show in Austin.

We went to the concert with a mixed group of friends after a long, hot day of boating on Lake Austin. Sunburned and burned out, we rallied to see RRB. We traveled in different cars and ended up losing some of the friends in our group as it was PACKED outside the amphitheater. I'd never seen it like that before. (Later, we would learn it was the most people ever at Nutty Brown for a show.)

We were standing in what seemed like a 50-yard-long line of people waiting to enter. Although I bought our tickets online, we had to pick them up at will call. This mass of people was the will call line. Ugggh. All we wanted to do was get in, grab a beer, and check out the band.

We could see inside, and the lines at the bar were equally out of control. I was beginning to wish we would have either arrived earlier or headed back home once we saw the overflowing parking lot (more on this later). As we stood there in the back of the line, trying to spot our friends at various points in the other lines, I noticed a couple (probably in their late 30s or early 40s) kind of wandering around. I smiled at them, and they walked right up to me.

"Excuse me, we were wondering if you two would like to sit with us in the VIP section of the show. You see, we bought a table and our two friends were unable to make it."

Hmm. Let me think. Fifty-yard-long line ... jam-packed, standing room only crowd ... pushy people OR the alternative: joining these strangers at their private table in the VIP section, complete with table, chairs AND a personal waiter!?!

Before I said yes, I stopped and thought about how I'd feel if I were one of our other friends. We did come with a big group of people. It's not like we came with just one other person and would be leaving her/him in the dust. I imagined how I'd feel if two of our friends were hand-selected to sit in the VIP section. Well, I'd be jealous as all get-out, but I would be thrilled for them. How cool, right? So, we said yes and we joined our new friends and waiter for the show.

After we made our way through the crowd of sweaty cowboy boot-wearing Texas country music fans, we chit-chatted with our sponsors. I mentioned how it was a struggle just making it out of the parking lot and to the line we were standing in. You see, the lots at these outdoor concert venues are big, empty fields. There was no one directing traffic that night, and naturally it became a free-for-all. People were parking any- and everywhere they could.

I spotted a fantastic place for Rocky to park his big truck. I got out and said, "Yes! Park here!" Little did I know the reason no one had taken my perfect parking spot was because it was a pile of sinking dirt. Rocky pulled in and his two-wheel drive truck sank right on down. After 15 minutes of back-and-forth, he was finally able to get it out of the mud. Many, many people walked by and gave me the, "Oh. Yeah. He shouldn't have parked there" looks.

I was panicking. But, in true Rocky fashion, he was cool as a cucumber and didn't express any worry. I'm pretty sure he was ready for a beer, however, and I told him I'd drive home since I was the one who got us in that mess to begin with. Annnnnyway, our new friends said they had seen us struggling with the truck. They didn't know that was us when they randomly chose us to sit with them. The lady said they chose us because we were at the very back of the looooong line, and she liked my dress-boots combo (of course I liked this response!).

We had a great time living the VIP lifestyle that stifling hot August night. It's an Austin memory I'll never forget.

Happily sitting down ...
While everyone else was packed into the amphitheater!