The Best Day. Like Ever. Part 1

You guys!

I've been thinking about this post and what I would say and how long it would be for the last week! So, I apologize in advance for the length, this is gonna be a long one. I won't be mad if you just scroll through and look at the pictures. 

Yesterday I wrote all about my Austin trip! Well, I left out Tuesday because that day gets it's very own post. This one. : )

Tuesday was magical.

Tuesday was the Taylor Swift Red Tour concert.

After finally finishing our sign for the show {we had been up literally all night!}, mom, Alyssa, and I started getting ready.  I had known exactly what I was going to wear, down to the 13's on my hands, red nail polish, and cat ears, for a long time. I had daydreamed many nights about how this night would go. 

About a month ago, Garrett and I went up to his workplace late one night and made t-shirts. I thought of exactly how I wanted them to look and he made them real. We made three Austin T-shirts and two Denver T-shirts. One of the Denver shirts was for Taylor in case I got to meet her. 

 It took us around 4 hours to make all of the T-shirts but afterwards I had exactly what I had envisioned. *Thank you honey for doing all of the work and for making something I had in my mind a real, tangible thing! You are perfect!*

Alyssa, mom, and I in our shirts! : ) Yes, one side of my hair is curled and the other is not. My dad thought he had to leave for Cabela's right that moment and since he was taking the picture I had no choice. 

The sleeve:

 Come Back, Be Here is one of Taylor's extra songs on her Red Album. It's good, listen to it if you haven't!

It was like prom. Getting ready and mom taking pictures!

I got the cat ears idea from Taylor's 22 video. She wears them in that video.

The concert didn't start until 7 but I wanted to get there early. We left Alyssa's apartment at 3 and were there by 3:30. I told ya I wanted to go early.

Diet Coke recently partnered with Taylor so there were people handing out Diet Coke for free! Score! There were also different posters/signs with Taylor's Diet Coke campaign pictures.

Us with our sign!

I guess now is as good a time as any to explain our sign. Yes, it says MEOW. No, it doesn't stand for anything, it's just meow. One night, while daydreaming about this concert, I thought of this idea. I was scared to tell anyone because I knew no one would understand. Alyssa was like, "ummm, I'll try to think of something else" when I told her. Bless her heart. She came around though.

My explanation: Taylor loves cats. All three of us love cats. It's unique, hadn't been done before that I had seen, and would get us noticed. So there you have it.

Meow.

After our Diet Coke drinking, we walked around the venue to see Taylor's trucks. I don't care who you are, these trucks are cool. How many people have 30+ trucks with their face on the side?

Coolest trucks I have ever seen.

Taylor's tour bus was parked near the venue door so we waited as close to it as possible in hopes of catching a glance. And, let's face it, we had time to waste.

This guy guarded the door the whole time and we never saw her. We did see her mom Andrea though! 

At 5:30, the doors opened. We got in line early and were some of the first people inside. There were all sorts of booths set up. Keds, Wonderstruck, all kinds of Taylor related goodness.

We took this picture at the Keds booth for a chance to win pit passes. We didn't win.

A photographer for the Frank Erwin Center took this and it ended up on their website, so I stole it.

After exploring for a bit, we headed to the arena and found our seats.
The very top in the very last row.

Mom and Alyssa tested out our sign.

I went and explored a little more before the show started. This is as far as they would let me get to the stage since I didn't have floor seats.

After Ed Sheeran and before Taylor. I didn't get any pictures of Ed because I was saving all of my camera battery for Taylor. : ) 

Annnnd....that's where I'm going to leave you hanging. I didn't realize this was going to be so long. So, tomorrow, I'll post about the actual concert.

Thanks for hanging in there, I know I talk alot.

Austin Trip = Great Success!

Hi y'all!

Whew, I feel like it has been awhile since I have been this excited about a blog post!

Last Sunday I left Denver and headed to Austin, TX to stay with my sister for several nights.

I literally had the time of my life.

Sunday, after I arrived, we talked at Alyssa's apartment for several hours, I met her boyfriend, and then we headed to the King of Mexican Fast Food = Taco Bueno. : ) Oh, I had been seriously craving some Bueno. I'm sad to report that while I was there I only had it one time. That's not enough. And on top of that I didn't even eat at Whataburger! Not that you care, but whatever. 

We ended Sunday night with several episodes of The Big Bang Theory. It sure was nice.

Monday, our mom and dad arrived! How nice it was to be in a town that was within driving distance for my parents! We visited with them for a bit and mom had a couple of surprises for us from her recent trip to Amsterdam. I got my very first pair of real diamond earrings from Antwerp as well as some Belgian chocolates! Thanks again mom! : ) 

After visiting for awhile we headed to dinner at a Mexican food place that for the life of me I can't remember the name of. It was pretty good. Not Bueno good, but good. Mom and dad met my sisters boyfriend for the first time and that went well. I'm pretty sure he gets our approval ; ).  After dinner we headed back to Alyssa's apartment and looked at some pictures my mom had from her trip and then mom and dad headed to their hotel.

Monday night was a loooong night. You see, the reason I went to Austin was because mom, Alyssa, and I had tickets to see Taylor Swift. I wasn't about to go to the concert empty handed, so we spent literally all of Monday night making our sign. I knew I wanted to make a sign that lit up because we were at the very top in the very last row and wouldn't be noticed otherwise. Alyssa and I went to 4 different Walgreens and were out until 4:30am buying the lights for our sign. 

While we were out I decided we may as well drive by the Frank Erwin center to see if Taylor's trucks were there yet. THEY WERE and I got SO excited! We drove by 3 times looking and then I made her pull up to one of them and I asked the guy who was outside if it would be possible for us to meet Taylor anytime that day. I realize it was 4:30am and we probably seemed like crazy people, but you never know if you don't ask. So I asked. And basically he said no.

I snapped a picture of the Texas capitol building while we were out. It is SO pretty.

When we got back to Alyssa's apartment we worked on our sign until sunrise. I went to sleep around 7:30am and woke up at 11:30am to finish it and get ready to go to the concert. 

I'm going to skip over Tuesday which was the day of the concert. 

Y'all, I have SO much to say about Tuesday. I'm not sure I can even find the words to explain the amazingness that happened that day. I'm still in shock. You'll see tomorrow...

Anyways, hello Wednesday!

Wednesday I was lazy and I didn't feel good. I slept in while my family had lunch. Mom and dad headed back home that afternoon and Alyssa and I were lazy all evening. We went to Pluckers for dinner and it was so good. If you live in Austin and haven't gone, go! Unless you are trying to be healthy, then definitely don't go. We loaded up on deep fried deliciousness.

Fried pickle spears.

Wings with macaroni & cheese.

And...drum roll...fried Oreo's!

And, one more notable thing about Pluckers, they serve their sweet tea in Mason Jars! 

Perfection.

After dinner we went to an outdoor bar called Moon Tower. Once again, if you live in the area, go! It was the best atmosphere. Picnic tables, camp fires, lights strung in the trees, perfect for a Texas summer night!

Alyssa's boyfriend was sweet and bought us drinks. We just talked, sipped our drinks, and listened to Texas country. It was perfect.

We didn't get home until late Wednesday night, I scarfed down the rest of my wings, which was a huge mistake, and went to bed. 

Thursday I slept until the very last minute and then was dropped off at the airport. 

We had so much fun, and Taylor on Tuesday was magical. I can't wait to tell you guys about it!

*Thank you Alyssa for having me, entertaining me, feeding me, and driving me all over town for poster lights! I'd say it was well worth it! ; ) I hope you had fun and I can't wait for our next adventure, although I doubt it will top this one!*

 

A Beautiful Exchange with Hayley

Hi y'all! 

Today I have a special someone for you guys to get to know! Her name is Hayley, she is super sweet, funny, and she's gorgeous!  Get to know her if you haven't already : )

Hi, guys! My name is Hayley and I write over at A Beautiful Exchange! I am a 20 year old mom of one that blogs about pretty much everything. I have so many interests and my blog is a great place to bundle them up and share them with other people. You can find all kinds of fun DIY projects, posts about family life, book "reviews," and random makeup ideas! Whitney came up with a few questions so you guys can get to know me a little better! Enjoy!

Your blog is called A Beautiful Exchange. How did you come up with this and what does it mean to you? A Beautiful Exchange is a song by Hillsong United. It is absolutely beautiful and the lyrics describe my life perfectly. I couldn't think of a better fit for my ongoing life scrapbook. :)

You have a handsome hubby named Jake, what is your favorite thing about being married? What is your least favorite thing? My favorite thing about being married is probably the constant companionship. Through every up and down, high and low, Jake is totally constant. He is always there to be my teammate in this crazy life. You can read more about why I love being married here. Or, if you are in an extra mushy mood, you can check out our story here. My least favorite thing is probably the "real life" factor of being married. It's totally different than dating and takes a lot of growth and adjustment from each of you. I recently wrote my 5 favorite things about being married! Go check it out!

You two also have a precious little boy named Eli, what is your number one mommy tip? That's a tough one! I guess aside from the obvious like loving and supporting your children, I would remind all moms to make time for themselves. It's so easy to feel guilty about leaving the kids with a sitter, or even Dad after he has worked a long day, but it is so important to get a little mommy time. Even if your "mommy time" consists of running errands or going to the grocery store, you will quickly recognize how important that hour or two of quiet time is!

Who is your favorite celebrity and why? When I first read that, I thought of the Kardashians. I don't know why they are so darn interesting. Maybe it's because I come from a big crazy family like that too....who knows. But I think Jennifer Lawrence is my favorite right now. She seems so real, totally confident, and absolutely hilarious. How could you not love someone who accepts an award with a reference to Mean Girls?

Do you have any hidden talents? I can sing. I know a lot of people say that and truly believe it. If not, American Idol would have been much less interesting over the years. I really do love to sing and used to participate in all kinds of things that would let me use that talent. I'm an Alto, so I really love harmonizing with people and singing acoustic stuff. I don't get to sing much anymore outside of the shower, but one day I will get back into the swing of things. It's hard to pursue multiple hobbies when you have a little guy! 

Thank you to Hayley for answering my questions and hanging out on my blog today! : ) You guys can find Hayley on Twitter, Bloglovin', and Facebook!

All Kinds of Kinds {Miranda and Dierks}

Last Saturday, before I left for Austin, Garrett and I saw Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley in concert. Although the concert was no where close to being in the same league as Taylor's, it was still pretty awesome! {Just FYI, Tay deserves to win Entertainer of the Year for the next 5 years from what I saw on Tuesday!} I know, I am a little biased.

Anyways, the concert was outdoors at the Fiddler's Green Amphitheater and the weather was perfect! We didn't have great seats, and you can't bring professional cameras, so my pictures aren't very good. Not being able to take your nice camera in is such a bummer when you love to take pictures. Not fair!

Before the concert we had Jimmy Johns. We love Jimmy Johns. And being silly.

Dierks Bentley opened up for Miranda and was awesome. Garrett and I both thought that his performance rivaled hers. He pulled a girl on stage and let her strum on his guitar while he slapped the hands of his fans near the stage. He also signed his guitar and gave it away to someone in the crowd! Lucky person!

Plus, he's hot.

These pictures I stole from the radio station's Facebook because they are allowed to bring in nice cameras! 

 Told ya he was a looker!

After Dierks finished up, it was Miranda's turn! I already thought she was pretty, but she is even prettier in person! And so short! : ) She was alot of fun and I would definitely go to see her again. The only thing I thought was strange was that she didn't interact with the crowd very much at all. Her show is pretty simple but nonetheless fun!

During All Kinds of Kinds, which is probably my favorite song, she had this huge disco ball come down and it made the stage and crowd so wonderfully glittery. It was gorgeous. Of course the picture does it no justice.

And, again, I stole these from 98.5 KYGO!

I love her pink guitar and pink microphone! 

Sunday morning we grabbed a quick {and cheap} McDonald's breakfast and headed to the airport. Austin was GREAT, can't wait to share that with you too!

Oh, in case you have never heard All Kinds of Kinds, here ya go!

I'm Back!

Hey guys!

I am back from Austin! Yep, I survived the heat and humidity. It was awful though. Not Austin, just the weather. Austin was AMAZING! I guess it is my lucky town.

But, right now I'm just here to say hello, I miss you, and I hope you guys are having a fun week. I will be back soon with pictures and stories. And I have one really good story. I'm still dying over it. 

Any guesses?