My step-bro Justin and his baby-momma tied the knot on Saturday.
The ceremony and reception was combined in a LDS church gymnasium.
[Justin is such a lil guy! We all swallow him up standing next to him]
I know this day had absolutely NOTHING to do with me, but I just have to make a comment on my outfit and hair......cuz this is my blog and I can make it about me if I want to dammit!
Have you ever left the house feeling put together, fashion appropriate, and even received multiple compliments that confirm your attire/look choice........
ONLY to realize that you look TOTALLY different in a picture that will be around FOREVER?!?!?
Ok, I learned a couple things from this hair/clothing captured train wreck:
When you absolutely know for sure there will be important pics taken......
1~ DO NOT have hair pulled back!
Nobody can see in the pics that you made a trendy fishbone braid and a rolled design in the back.
Make it big and fluffly to take away from the fact that you I am a pin head!
During the wedding, your bouffant may make you look like you are ready to dance on a pole in the Vegas nightlife,
but at least you will look good in the memorialized pics!
2~ DO NOT wear a heavy print on top and tight leggins on bottom.
You end up looking like a line backer and/or a DD boobalicous fudge stick.
Gavin is just over a year old, and continues to look EXACTLY like Justin did at that age.
Gavin is a daddy's boy, and Justin is a natural father with patience, love, and discipline.
[Amanda has 5 other children! Justin is one brave mofo!]
Danna made it to the ceremony at the last minute.
Justin was overcome with emotion when he saw his mom.
So I'm sure you can assume, that I was a bawling boob too!
P!NK tickets for Vegas went on sale MONTHS before the concert date.
She sold out within minutes to the pre-sale buyers.
Paula and I's annual Vegas Bday Vaca was the same weekend as the concert.
Weeks prior, Jay D and myself were checking KSL and Craigslist hoping to score some seats.
At $500+ /tix online, Paula and I decided we would just try to work it once we were in Vegas.
We called Mandalay Bay every hour asking if they had opened any more seats.
The answer was always no.
NO does not work for us........it's not an answer we can accept.
We got ourselves ready, hailed a taxi and lined up behind 9,000 people.
The crowd made me deaf, dumb and blind......and add in some heart palps which kicked in the start of a mild panic attack.
[I don't know if it's because of my thyroid issues, cranky old age or scared of group love, but there are certain times a smother of people freaks me out.]
I was in a dazed coma as Paula grabbed me by the hand, and with a soldier look on her face, she marched us through the sea of sardines.
That lil momma can be forceful and strong when in mind set!
She kept saying, "WE WILL see this concert dammit!"
I honestly was fogged with duh as she continually made her face known to the box office people who told us we could stand in line and 'hope' tix would come avail.
We were the first in the 'I will do anything for tickets' line, and within an hour, the line had grown close to 100 behind us.
As we waited.....and waited....and waited....we watched groups walk to the box office with paper receipts and were turned away because they were scammed by online ticket sellers!!!!
[the online site said it was secure!!
beware!]
One party of girls paid $1,000/tix online!
Mandalay apologized for their unfortunate situation, but told them they were out their money and not going to see the show!!!
Handfuls of people walked away pissed and disappointed.
My positive energy of Paula and I getting a ticket was starting to hit an all time low. I figured, if they didn't give a consolation ticket to the poor saps that were scammed, they sure ass hell aren't going to give us tickets!
About the time I was ready to call it and accept that we wouldn't be entertained by P!NK that night, I see one of the box office ladies aggressively waving her hand to Paula and I to come to the counter.
Paula was too busy socializing and didn't see our invite. I put my hand on the mid of her back and pushed her toward the counter saying, "get the f... up there! hurry!"
They had only opened two sets of tickets.
One that was $150/each
and the other that was $53/each [$68 with fees] but had an obstructed view.
We chose the cheap seats......which turned out to be a great decision!
We were in serious shock and disbelief that we
GOT FREAKIN P!NK TICKETS!!!!!!
We repeated it over and over to each other while jumping up and down!
She had been sitting in the crowd and surprised everyone once the show started and the camera zoomed in on her.
Can you even imagine having her that close?!?!?!
She is everything and more than I thought she would be.
She is strikingly beautiful with soft feminine features, yet also has a tough masculine side to her that is strong and confident.
Her body is killer and it's muscular stature puts on an amazing physical show.
She sings while doing acrobatic flips and spins in the air.
Her lung capacity must take her whole chest because she doesn't run out of breath and keeps in beautiful tune.
She is my idol, my fav concert, and I'm pretty sure one of my besties now since she made it a point to wave to Paula and I each time she walked back stage to costume change! We know she was waving to us, because we were the only one's in that area!
Hence: cheap, OBSTUCTED view tickets.
We had a unique view point of everything going on back stage. I wondered how we got so lucky to be privy to such an amazing night :)
The waters parted for us.......like they always do.
This is P!NK backstage! See how close we are?!?!?
{Who Knew}
I cried through this entire song.
Her passion seeps into your skin and you feel all emotion with each word.
{F*ckin Perfect}
Warning: You can hear my screechy, out of tune voice singing along.
I AM REALLY, REALLY, REALLY SORRY about that! YIKES!
Warning II: There is a part that my speaker gets muffled.....but keep listening
The end of the video is my favorite part.
To Paula's children: When you become a teenager and you think your momma is old and lame......just watch this video.
THIS is your mom!
Happy, dancing, rockin', singing, and radiating beauty.
We had been planning this night for weeks, and we were all looking forward to celebrating St. Paddy's* together.
Obviously, we also enjoyed a few bottles together to get the night a rollin'!
[All three of these wines were AMAZING!!!! FYI]
*Is it Paddy's or Patty's??
We had a rez for 12, at Biaggi's Italian restaurant in the Gateway. They accommodated us very nicely by giving us our own room!
I guess word on the street got out that we are either loud and obnoxious, or that we are old and didn't want to deal with all the high school kids having a pre-prom dinner!
Thank you Biaggi's from the old people who didn't want to deal with all the high school kids having a pre-prom dinner!
[I know.....Italian food on an Irish holiday?
Hey!!! Have you seen many Irish restaurants in Utah????
NO, you haven't!
There is ONE and it is a pub!
The Irish specialize in beer, not food!
So there we go! We got Italian!]
The gringos green-go's mafia.
After a two hour dinner, we were ON LIKE DONKEY KONG GETTIN OUR JIG ON as we walked to the Depot for our Irish Night O' fun!
There were two opening bands before The Young Dubs hit the stage.
I can't remember the first one's name that is in this picture, but they KICKED SOME A!!!
[was this one Swagger?]
The gal with the frontal drum was fun to watch. She had these sticks with fuzzy purple pompom's on the end. She would beat that drum then twirl, twirl, twirl the sticks in her fingers above her head and then repeat. The bagpipes were beautiful. They played Amazing Grace and even some heavy metal!
Jay D led the way for Paula and I to get up to the stage.
It was hilarious to watch the 'groupies' pining for the musician's attention!
Yes I said groupies!
Even Irish mandolin guys needs groupies! ok people!
I call this picture, "sweating to the Irish".
We jigged and jumped and danced our little leprechaun feets right into a frenzy!
As you can see by our happy bystander,
the music produced a perma-grin of happy happy joy joy
We had a girl's night of wine, soup, munchies, comfys, and a movie at Lisa's house last week.
It is actually quite shocking that we even got to watching the movie since we can sit around and shoot the shit for HOURS. After scanning her Apple TV selections, we chose a movie that none of us had even heard of; Celeste and Jesse Forever. The trailer hooked us in with it being a 'dramedy'. I loved everything* about the movie and even felt like I could learn a thing or two from Rashida Jones' character. She assumed that she always needed to correct a wrong, address a rude person and set them straight, show her power by not showing vulnerability......all of which made her life crumble around her. I related to the un-progressive 'lawdawg' in her, and made a decision that I AM HANGING UP MY BADGE!!!! No more lawdawg! No more having to correct others. No more insisting to be right. My new way of lawdawg-less life was tested yesterday as Randy and I were exiting a restaurant. He held the door open for me to walk through, and a couple of RUDE, disgusting women [I can't even call them ladies] pushed me out of the way to get in the door! And then didn't even acknowledge Randy with a head nod, a thank you, or a fuck you. Apparently they needed to get to those damn chips and salsa before the infinity bowl ran out! I clenched my jaw, tightened the keys in my fist, and kept my mouth shut. Until....... Randy says a lil somethin somethin about it once we were in the car. My self control tight rope was starting to fray. I looked at him and said, "I WISH IT WAS OK TO JUST PUNCH SOMEONE REAL HARD AND THEN RUN YOUR ASS OFF! That would feel sooooooo damn good!"
I realized that I am who I am. Even a lover has a fighter in them. People who are inconsiderate and pigs piss me off. I cannot hold my tongue, out of pure principle and justice! LAWDAWG reinstated! *funny, because I think was the only one that connected with the movie?
As I walked into my office, I realized that there is a certain feeling of comfort, empowerment, happiness, thankfulness, and content when my eye catches recognition of intentional surrounds.
It is important for me to entwine myself with decor/gifts/phrases that inspire an emotion.
I enter rooms throughout my home with a visual scan to engage with the "feel good" pieces.
I had to laugh at myself once I acknowledged my 'scanning' quirk.
But I figure, we all deserve to have a security blanket of some sort to wrap us in a big hug,
