Christmas 2013

Oh, Christmas.  Once again, you've come and gone like it didn't mean one little thing to you at all.  Seriously though, I know I'm not the only one who felt like the holidays blew by.  Jason said it has something to do with there being one less week between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, which could very well be the reason!

I had the pleasure of using a little vacation time to road trip down to my pretty home city of Houston to see friends and family.  Last last Thursday (the day before I was to leave for Houston) I contracted a horribly awful stomach virus from Jason and spent literally all day on the couch nibbling on saltines and carefully sipping ginger ale.  Luckily, the worst of it was over by the next morning, and all day Friday I just experienced some bad cramping in my stomach that caused me to walk around hunched over like a ninety-year-old grandma.  I got into Houston that night and went straight to my mom's where we picked up some chips, queso and salsa from Iguana Joe's because, oddly enough, that's the only thing that sounded appetizing to me after being sick.  So we spent the evening munching and watching bad reality television.

Saturday morning, we decided to go over to my Aunt Kelley's to bake and decorate some Christmas cookies with her and my cousin, Kirby.  It was a fun few hours of frosting little christmas trees, snowmen, gingerbread men and stars while enjoying each others' company.  That night I drove over to Kingwood to my best friend Sam's apartment for a little Christmas get-together with my best ladies.  We exchanged presents, drank lots of wine and sangria, danced like wild women, took silly pictures, giggled and carried on as we have for many years.  I hope we never change!  It was the most fun I've had in a long time.  I love that no matter how much time passes since our last visit, when we all get together, we can easily just pick up where we left off and have the best time.

Sunday, my mom, my sister, my brother and I all met up with my aunts and cousins at the Galleria.  I'm so excited I got a chance to see it during Christmastime!  It's always decorated so beautifully with the huge Christmas tree in the center of the mall surrounded by the ice skating rink.  I wasn't really shopping for anything, as I'd finished all of my Christmas shopping quite early this year, but it was still fun to window shop and watch my sister and little teenage cousins get their makeup done at Chanel and peruse the glittery glass cases at Tiffany's.  Of course we ate lunch while we were there.  That was practically the first thing we did once we all met up!  And, of course, we chose The Cheesecake Factory.  I had to get my sweet corn tamale cakes on ;).

Monday, I went over to Tomball/Spring to my grandparents' house to celebrate Christmas with my dad's side of the family.  Meme made a traditional Christmas dinner spread, as she always does, and it's always so delicious.  After dinner, we opened presents and chatted for a while before I headed back to my mom's.

On Christmas Eve, we went back to my Aunt Kelley's to celebrate Christmas with my mom's side of the family.  Uncle Steve made a yummy gumbo with chicken and sausage, and there were treats all over the place for us to snack on before and after lunch.  It's always so wonderful to have all of my maternal cousins all together in the same place.  It was great getting to see my Aunt Kim and Uncle Dale, along with Esther, Sarah and Abigail.  I'm so jealous of Sarah right now because she just left on a 7-day cruise with her boyfriend yesterday!  I know they'll have a blast so I'm really happy for her.

On Christmas Day, we went over to my mom's finace's sister's (woah, that's a jumble) house for brunch and MORE present opening.  Yes, I get a ridiculous amount of gifts, and my family is only growing so it's only getting more obscene, haha.  After hanging out there for a couple of hours, my mom, Randy (her fiance) and I went for a two-mile walk around the park by her apartment, and then Randy made us sour cream chicken enchiladas for dinner, and of course, I made my mom make us some margaritas with her pineapple-vanilla bean infused tequila.  I live for that stuff!  Pretty sure I drank about four of those bad boys and then started passing out while we were playing Sequence and Yahtzee.

The day after Christmas, I hit the road fairly early to get back to Austin for an afternoon of work. Speaking of work, it really hasn't been too bad lately.  We're smack in the middle of our slow season so now is the time to clean everything out, get re-organized and relax a little before March madness begins.  And I'm not talking about basketball.  I'm referring to the madness that ensues in Austin in March - SXSW, among a couple thousand other conferences and events that take over around that time.

Well, my apologies for the lengthy post.  I know Emily will not approve! :)  I just had to tell you all about my fabulous Christmas events, and I hope everyone had a cozy, warm, family-filled holiday like I did.

Happy New Year! 

Tagged: The 10 Days of Christmas

1. What do you love the most about Christmas time?
Mostly being with family.  It's the one time each year I get to see EVERYONE I love.  I always get super depressed when it's all over, haha.  I also love all of the food that comes with Christmastime (hot chocolate, cookies, casseroles, pies, etc.), the music, the energy, the mood, the cold-ish weather, decorating the house, all of the beautiful twinkle lights that take over neighborhoods and city streets and of course, all of my favorite Christmas stories and movies (Love Actually, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Family Stone, A Muppet Christmas Carol, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, A Charlie Brown Christmas, etc.)!

2. Do you celebrate the holiday in style or is Bah-Humbug for you?
I'd say I celebrate in style.  I'm all about the glittery, festive nail polish and makeup.  I attend every holiday party that I possibly can, and I definitely go all out with the decor.

3. Are you leaving anything out for Santa Claus this year so he remembers to leave your presents?
I used to leave cookies and milk as a child, but I haven't done that in quite some time.  Probably won't until I have kids of my own.

4. What is the one gift you are most looking forward to GIVING? {It can be to your kids, another family member, etc – remember to be discreet if they read your blog}
Welllll, I got some really cute (if I may say so myself) gifties for my best friends, and a couple of awesome things for Jason that I know he'll love.

5. What is your all-time favorite Christmas movie? Either Meet Me In St. Louis or The Family Stone

6. What is your all-time favorite Christmas song?
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Judy Garland & "Blue Christmas" by Elvis

7. If given the opportunity, would you participate in an “Ugly Sweater” party and what sweater would you wear? Peruse one on the Internet or even if your own closet and show us!
Been there, done that. 

8. Have you started any Christmas traditions this year that you plan on carrying forward? Not this year really, but last year, Jason and I decided that we would eat at 24 Diner and then celebrate Christmas together early because I typically journey to Houston for Christmas, and he has to stay here in Austin and work like a crazy person.  So we pick a day before I leave to open each others' gifts and eat at one of our favorite places.

9. It’s Christmas morning… what does it look like outside where you live?  Last year it was fairly warm, but I hope it will be ice cold this time around!

10. You just found yourself standing under the mistletoe… who comes up to give you a kiss first?
A handsome gent named Jason.  :)

I'm a little late in the game, so I tag anyone and everyone who wants to do this!

Happy Holidays!

xoxo

Photography Friday Link-Up

I'm pretty excited to be participating in my first Photography Friday Blog Hop hosted by Jessica of This Analog Adventure and co-hosted by Sarah of Sarrrahgirl.  I am by no means whatsoever a self-proclaimed "photographer."  I'm just a lady who likes to take pictures occasionally, but Sarah encouraged me to try this out, and I'm glad I did.  I'm always searching for new ways to get to know myself and one of the best ways to do that is to express yourself artistically as much as you can.  I surprise myself on the daily when I let my freak flag truly go wild.

I like to call this series of photographs Procedural Beauty.

+ + +

Christmas Traditions

With Christmas drawing near, I've been doing a lot of thinking and remembering.  I miss being a kid, so overwhelmed by the magic of this time of year.  I miss believing in Santa, baking and decorating sugar cookies with my mom, going to the Galleria and seeing the tallest Christmas tree I'd ever seen in my life and sitting by the fire while opening my stocking and presents.  

When my mom was a kid, she and her sisters would put together a huge jigsaw puzzle over the holidays, so she carried that tradition to our family.  It was fun for a while, but to be completely honest with you, I would always get either bored or frustrated with it the first day we opened it up, so my step-dad was usually the one to finish it.

When I would celebrate with my dad's side of the family, I loved decorating the tree with my Meme and playing the role of Santa by passing out everyone's gifts to be opened.

Remembering all of these special moments make me a little sad, but also make me excited for when I have kids of my own.  We can continue these traditions and make new ones for our little family.  

Thanksgiving 2013

Sadly, I had to work another Thanksgiving so I was unable to travel to Houston to celebrate with family, and I was scheduled to work the evening shift so I didn't get to join Jason at his parents' house.  In light of everything, we decided to have our own Thanksgiving dinner a couple of days early.  Jason made the turkey and candied sweet potatoes, and I happily made some of my family's traditional holiday dishes.  It was my first time to make my Nana's cornbread stuffing, and it was really much easier than I was expecting.  I remember her always talking about how difficult it was to make perfectly because it was passed down from her mother, "MeeMaw Hatcher", and she never wrote down specific measurements, just "a pinch of this" and "a dash of that."  I was pleasantly surprised at how simple the recipe was to follow and pleased that it came out not only edible, but quite delicious.  I also mastered MeeMaw's slow-cooked green beans and a copycat recipe for Black Eyed Pea's baked squash casserole (one of my all-time favorite dishes).  For dessert, I made a buttermilk pie, which I've made a few times before.  Everything turned out really scrumptious, and we made so much food that we couldn't even fit everything on the table!  On the plus side, we've had amazing leftovers all week.  

Currently

HBO.com

Watching: Six Feet Under, my hands-down all-time favorite show.  I've been slowly re-watching the entire series (five seasons) over the past year, and it is still just as moving and overwhelming as the first go around.  Seriously... THE best show ever.  If you haven't watched it, I strongly suggest you do so as soon as humanly possible.  As naive and teenager-y as Claire is for most of the show, I can't get over how many remarkable ideas she comes up with.  I could quote her for ages.  To sum it up, the show is a beautifully written depiction of family dysfunction, birth, death, love, the ups and downs of relationships, the search for beauty and truth, self-actualization and growth, survival and impending finality.

Anticipating: the release of Catching Fire this coming weekend.  I probably won't be able to see it until sometime next week because I have to work Friday and Saturday.  I remember really liking the book, but I think Mockingjay is still my favorite, and I am really excited to see how it translates to film.  Also anticipating Thanksgiving and Christmas, of course.  Casseroles, pies and rolls, oh my!  I would like to get all of my Christmas shopping out of the way early this year.  I did pretty good last year, but I always leave a few things for the last minute, like those impossible-to-buy-for family members.

Eating: lots of rice.  I've never been a huge rice-eater, but lately I've been making a couple of different rice recipes as a starch for meals.  This Mexican rice recipe and this orzo-white rice blend are both really delicious components in any weeknight feast.  Last night I baked some chicken, spinach & feta sausages and served them with carrots, broccoli and the orzo-rice mix.  It was pretty delicious and very filling.  Tonight, I'm probably going to make chicken and dumplings in my Crock Pot!  It's a little chilly outside today, so why not whip up something that is sure to warm our bellies?

Wondering: if it's lame to give homemade Christmas gifts when you're an adult?  I've had the crafting bug as of late, and I have a few ideas that would make good gifts, but I'm not sure if that's something that people still do in their twenties?  I don't want anyone to think I'm being cheap and thoughtless!

Listening to: the new Arcade Fire album, Beck, Michale Graves, Warpaint, Interpol (always), Daughter, the Arctic Monkeys new album, Cults and Chris Isaak.  I'll post a playlist sometime this week with my favorite songs from these artists so you can check them out for yourself.

As always, many thanks to Danielle for providing the inspiration for these Currently posts.

xoxo

Dreaming Of Winter

I had a great time this past weekend playing host to Miss Emily.  Once again, she beat me to the punch

and posted a sweet little recap over on her blog.  You can read all about our shenanigans here.  

Well, I had a nice three-day break from work, but in approximately two hours, that break is over, and one of the most stressful work weeks of the year will be smothering me.  Buuuut, that hasn't happened yet, so I can still be happy and dreamy and floating around outside of my head.  This morning, as this cold front is blowing in at 30 mph, all I can seem to think about is how much I wish Texas experienced full blown seasons.  The summers are much too long and the winters are nearly nonexistent.  I know people that live in the northeast and other places that have long, treacherous winters despise the snow and want to wish it away at all cost, but I am not one of those people, and I really want some snow down here!  However, I am not a brainless human, so I know my dream will most likely not come true, but I will continue to dream my little beating heart to pieces because that is what I seem to be best at these days.  

Here are some pictures I have been drooling over this morning thanks to Pinterest:

25th Birthday Week

As I mentioned in my last post, October wasn't very good to us, but we're trying our best to stay positive and move forward with painful lessons learned.  I had to work the late afternoon/evening shift on my birthday, but Jason and I made plans to go out to lunch beforehand to celebrate.  I had been looking forward to a delicious birthday lunch at Roll On Sushi Diner, but when we got there we were informed they were closed in preparation for a large private event.  I was pretty disappointed, but they made up for it by giving us a couple of coupons for free rolls next time we make it out there.  Instead we ended up going to a place I'd been wanting to try after driving by it a few weeks ago - Clark's Oyster Bar.  Jason and I both love raw oysters, so this place was right up our alley.  We shared a few different selections of oysters from both the east and west coasts.  For our main entrees, I ordered the clam chowder and Jason chose the burger.  We were both happily full, but not before dessert - a cherry cake and a chocolate butterscotch cake with banana ice cream.  Mmm mmm mmm.  I'm sure we'll be back at some point in the future.

As for Halloween, I had to work again, but it was pretty fun getting to see everyone all dressed up headed to Sixth Street.  I'm glad I don't work the overnight shift because I'm sure last night was a challenge for those guys when all the guests returned inebriated.

Gifts-wise, I did pretty well.  Jason got me two of my favorite albums on vinyl - Tame Impala and FIDLAR.  My mom sent me a birthday "care package" with a really sweet card from her and one from my sister, lots of candy, Michael Kors Gold perfume I'd requested, a Target gift card from my mom's friend Randy and she even threw in a little beer flight glass for Jason, the "brew master", haha.  I felt really special opening everything she sent me.  When I got to work on my birthday, my coworkers surprised me with a birthday cake and a balloon!  It was the sweetest thing ever!  My boss even brought me some cupcakes from my favorite south Austin bakery, Sugar Mama's.

Tomorrow, my dad and my grandparents are coming up for a late birthday celebration lunch before I go to work.  I'm looking forward to spending some time with them!

Overall, it was a pretty decent birthday week.  I'm a lucky lady to have all of this love and support from friends and family!  Even the last minute Facebook birthday wishes meant a lot to me.  It's nice to know people are thinking of you, even if for a split second.

The Opposite Of Euphoria

Unrelated TxCSM Poster - wallpaperhere.com

Remember at the beginning of the month when I posted this update (load of crap) about how everything is just so wonderful?  Well, I suppose I jinxed myself because, overall, the month of October, typically my favorite month, has been an absolute disaster.  (Random side note: as soon as starting typing up this entry, the song "(Things are) Lookin' Good" by Say Hi To Your Mom came on Spotify. How ironic.)

(Warning:  If you don't like to listen to and/or read rants on soap boxes, please discontinue reading and move on to something else.  Don't want to ruin your day.)

Jason lost a family member quite suddenly.  Our search for a rental house has proved to be way more challenging than we were expecting.  We are both rather broke.  Just found out I'll be working the evening shift on my birthday AND halloween.  And speaking of work, it's been a nonstop wreck for the past couple of weeks.  I have encountered some of the worst people on this planet just in the past few days.  I'm talking cold-blooded, soul-sucking narcissists that feel like it is their personal quest to destroy the self-esteem of others.  I know, I know.  I'm not supposed to take things people say personally.  "They're just venting."  "They just want someone to hear their frustrations."  "They're not mad at you. They're mad at the situation."  I DON'T CARE.  There is an appropriate way to voice your problems/concerns/opinions/criticism, and it's not screaming at someone who has nothing to do with the real reason you're such a black hole of death.  You don't talk to someone like they are the trash you stomp on.  A few weeks ago, right after someone finished up a malicious yelling fit directed at me, another guest leaned toward me and quietly said, "I think everyone should be required to work in customer service for at least six months to see what it's like to be treated like that."  I totally agree, sir.  This job has seriously changed me.  It has made me realize how many self-entitled jack-bottoms are out there.  Now, I just automatically expect the worst in people.  What fun.  It also doesn't help that I am a scorpio through and through.  I am super passionate about everything.  When I like something, I am obsessed.  When I hate something, I hate it with every ounce of my being.  When I'm happy, I am ecstatic.  And when I'm mad, you better run.

End of rant.

Have a lovely week, friends!

Halloween Playlist 2013

Ah, yes.  It's that MAGICAL time of year again; a time for some of the best songs to be played relentlessly on repeat until your ears bleed from all of the charming, eerie spookiness.  Seriously though.  Some of my favorite songs are "horror" themed so it's never a real challenge for me to put together a Halloween playlist of songs for every little girl and boy ghost to enjoy.  Feel free to enjoy them yourself by listening to my selections on Spotify.

1. "Evil" Interpol

2. "River of Blood" The Black Angels

3. "Hell's Bells" Cary Ann Hearst

4. "Blah Blah Blah" Say Hi To Your Mom

5. "Dressed In Black" Shangri-Las

6. "Witchcraft" DZ Deathrays

7. "Alive" Kid Cudi

8. "The Scream" The Cure

9. "Wolf Like Me" TV On The Radio

10. "Dead Souls" Joy Division

11. "Ghost Dream" Blouse

12. "Trick Or Treat" Peaches

13. "Spellbound" Siouxsie and the Banshees

14. "Twilight Omens" Franz Ferdinand

15. "Vicious" Lou Reed

16. "Superstition" The Kills

17. "Bloody Water" Thee Oh Sees

18. "New Fang" Them Crooked Vultures

19. "Midnight Creeper" Eagles of Death Metal

20. "Godzilla" Fu Manchu

21. "Love You To Death" Type O Negative

22. "Pet Sematary" Ramones

23. "Monster Mash" Misfits

24. "Pa Pa Power" Dead Man's Bones

25. "Dead Man's Bones" Dead Man's Bones

26. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" Blue Oyster Cult

27. "Candy Man" Roy Orbison

28. "Ghostbusters Theme" Ray Parker Jr.

29. "I'm Your Boogie Man" KC & The Sunshine Band

30. "I Put A Spell On You" Screamin' Jay Hawkins

31. "Creeper" Islands

32. "Super Freak" Rick James

33. "Love At First Fright" Murderdolls

34. "Skeletons" Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

35. "Devil's Playground" Gram Rabbit

36. "Leaves In The River" Sea Wolf

I Took My Little Sister to a Garage Rock Show

...and it was scary.

As you can see, my sister, at 14 years young, is quite beautiful...and, as I am noticing from this picture, a bit taller than I am.  Over the past few years her taste in music has blossomed a little, from The Jonas Brothers and Justin Bieber to Sleeping With Sirens (still not sure who these guys are) and a few other "screamo" bands.  She's been to a handful of live shows, but nothing like what I was ready to introduce her to.  One of my favorite bands that I have mentioned many times, Bass Drum of Death, is a lo-fi, fairly energetic garage rock group from Oxford, Mississippi, and they were scheduled to play at The Parish downtown on Sixth Street last Friday night.  I was planning on going for a while leading up to it, but I got really excited when I found out that my mom and sister were coming to town for my brother's official UT baseball visit that weekend.  Taking my sister to a live show with me is something I had been waiting to do for a long time.  There is an 11-year difference between us, and even when she was a little baby, I would dream about the days when we could be more than just sisters; when we would both be older and could be good friends, and the age gap wouldn't be such a big deal anymore.  Well, the time has finally come and it is frightening.  I did her hair and makeup for the evening, which I suppose made her look a little more mature, but we hadn't been at the venue for more than five minutes before two drunk guys in their 30s came up and started to make conversation with us.  I went through the redundant small talk (which sincerely annoys me to no end) with these guys and managed to not-so-casually mention that this stunning young lady next to me is my little sister who happens to be FOURTEEN.  The least drunk of the two seemed to get the hint and meandered over to the opposite side of the room while his idiotic, stumbling counterpart remained in our faces.  We managed to escape when he finally looked the other way.  After the Bass Drum of Death set, as we were leaving, another guy came up to Micah and started making conversation with her.  Let's just say I was thrilled when we were out of there and back in my car headed home.  I'm sure I sound a little silly, but this was the first time I'd witnessed my sister getting hit on and by GROWN men.  It threw me for quite a little loop, but she really enjoyed the music and, in the end, that was my only hope and intention.  It was fun to be able to experience that with her.  I got to see one of my favorite bands with my little sister/good friend, and, for that, I am nothing but grateful and oh so happy.  Here's to our next adventure!

Easy Breakfast Recipes

In case you missed it (shame on you), I shared a couple of my favorite go-to quick breakfast recipes on Sarah's blog last week while she was away galavanting in NYC...

I've never been much of a breakfast person.  Weird, I know.  I totally enjoy eating breakfast foods, just not usually at the typical breakfast time.  I have worked in a hotel for the past three years.  The first two years I pretty much always worked the morning shift, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and I never ate breakfast before work because that is just too early for me to be eating.  I'd much rather hit the snooze button a couple thousand times. The past year, I have been working more evening shifts where I don't have to be at work until mid-afternoon, so now, I almost always eat breakfast and I've gotten pretty crafty with it, if I may say so myself.  Two of my favorite easy breakfasts include french toast and yogurt parfaits.  

Now, my french toast isn't just any french toast.  Ideally, I like to use a good quality, thick white bread that will soak up lots of the eggy liquid.  French bread is especially nice.

Ingredients (for 1 single serving):

2 slices thick white bread
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk or almond milk
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Berries
Powdered sugar

Method:

Whisk together the eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Set aside.
Heat an oiled skillet over medium heat.
Dip the bread slices, one at a time, in the egg mixture and place on the heated pan.
Allow the bread to cook for about 1 minute on each side, until lightly browned.
Serve topped with berries and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Just like my french toast, I like to use certain kinds of components to make a truly delicious yogurt parfait.  

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vanilla honey greek yogurt (I like the Greek Gods brand)

Berries or a fruit of your choice

1/3 cup vanilla almond granola (I get mine at HEB)

Method:

Simple - just layer it up & devour!

I hope these recipes appeal to you and that they inspire you to try a new thing or two with your breakfast routine!

xoxo

A Brief Currently

Loving: the beginnings of the Fall season in Austin.  The humidity and sweltering heat is finally fading, and those light breezes are starting to blow through.  It's my favorite time of year; a time I look forward to all year round!  Pumpkins are a plenty, orange and red leaves are making themselves known and the ghosts n' goblins are preparing for all hallows' eve.  ;)

Watching: As far as shows go, we're keeping up with Homeland, Parenthood, New Girl and Boardwalk Empire.  I (alone) am watching the new season of my ultimate guilty pleasure, The Vampire Diaries.  The first episode of this season's SNL was hilarious!  Did you see it?  Tina Fey hosted, and Arcade Fire was the musical guest.  They introduced six new cast members, and, so far, they are awesome, and my fave character, Drunk Uncle, even made an appearance.  It doesn't get much better than that my friends.

Anticipating: My twenty-fifth birthday on the thirtieth of this month, Halloween and moving into a new place.

Eating: Some yummy treats I picked up at the new Trader Joe's yesterday - veggie samosas, mango ginger chutney, cranberry apple butter, a couple of bottles of wine, butternut squash soup and greek yogurt! It's so nice having a variety of grocery stores that all offer a variety of products.  Central Market is probably still my favorite, but Trader Joe's is definitely a runner-up.

Austin City Limits 2013

Once again, Jason and I were given free wristbands to ACL - this time free VIP wristbands!  As VIPs we were granted access to the VIP Grove.  I like to refer to it as the "secret garden" because that's what it felt like to me.  It was a bit annoying being surrounded by filthy rich people who are used to getting this kind of treatment on a daily basis, but it was still fun, and I felt super grateful to be there getting FREE food and FREE drinks and air-conditioned restrooms and seating in one of the few shady areas of Zilker Park.  It was a sweet escape from the hot sun and sea of sweaty bodies wandering around from stage to stage.  In the VIP Grove, each day between 3:30 and 5:30 there were free "happy hour" tastings from some of the best chefs in Central Texas.  I tried some samples from Jason Dady, Lucy's Fried Chicken and Cafe Mueller.  In addition to the daily chef tastings, Central Market catered lunch and dinner!  On Friday, we ate lunch there (gourmet sandwiches, bacon & bleu cheese potato salad), and we partook in the dinner spread on both Saturday (veggie tortellini, chicken penne pasta) and Sunday (barbeque).  All of the food was delicious, and all of the drinks were served perfectly strong in the VIP Grove.  I can't forget to mention the unlimited amounts of free Topo Chico, Sweet Leaf Tea, Red Bull, Boxed Water and Coconut Water.  Pretty awesome..

Enough with the special treatment details and onto the music.  Oh, the music!  The core reason I go to so many of these blown-up, over-the-top hipster affairs in the first place.  Friday, we unexpectedly had to leave the festival early, but we got there early and managed to see FIDLAR, Savages, Electric Six, The Blind Boys of Alabama and The Black Angels.  My favorite show of the day was actually Detroit-based Electric Six, who I had never even heard of prior to the festival.  One of Jason's friends, who is from Detroit, met up with us, and Electric Six was pretty much the only band he really wanted to see, so we decided to join him, and I am so glad we did!  They were so much fun!  Their music is a crazy amazing blend of garage rock, disco, dance, punk and metal, and they put on quite a funky performance.

On Saturday we went later in the day to see Portugal.The Man, The Joy Formidable, Wilco, Kendrick Lamar and, finally, THE CURE!!  Hands down, my Saturday favorite was The Cure.  DUH.  I have been a lifelong fan of those guys, and they put on a flawless show.  We stayed for the whole thing because I was so drawn in and it would have been an absolute crime to walk out early.  They played nearly all of their popular hits, some new stuff and finished with "Boys Don't Cry."  Perfection.

Sunday was the most relaxed day.  I worked until 3 p.m. and then headed to the festival to meet up with Jason and see Franz Ferdinand, Tame Impala and Atoms For Peace.  I had already seen Tame Impala live, and while they continue to be one of my favorite live shows, I have to say Atoms For Peace won my heart that day.  I hadn't really listened to them much before, but you can bet I will now!  Thom Yorke and Flea make a great musical match.

Yet again, ACL blew me away, and into outer space.  It's such a magical, fun-filled experience that I look forward to every year.  This was my fifth time to attend ACL, and it better not have been my last!  I'm already excited to hear who will be playing it in 2014 because my brother Kaleb will be living up here by then, and I plan to buy him a wristband for his first plunge.

FIDLAR

Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar

The Cure

The Cure

Tame Impala

Atoms For Peace