tight cardigans, skinny jeans, and amazing icelanders...oh my!

sigur ros is a band from iceland.

none of their songs are in english, so you never have to worry about knowing the words. 

and they are absolutely incredible. 

they are so good that when we heard they were coming to denver, we knew we just had to buy tickets. 

what we didn't know was just how incredible the people watching would be once we got there.

i know some people would consider me a hipster.

i admit, i have extra large dark rimmed glasses, rock my skinny jeans with the best of 'em, and enjoy listening to records while sipping on a hot cup of coffee.

but, i don't hold a candle to the gems we watched while waiting in line for the concert. 

it was like nothing we'd ever seen. for reals.

we learned a few things about the true hipster culture that night, including...

-the tighter the cardigan, the more perfect the fit {like if you normally wear an XXL, you should definitely get an XS.}

-skinny jeans aren't skinny enough until you lose all circulation in your legs.

-the rat-tail is making a comeback.

-see through gaucho pants are the wave of the future.

-beards. if you are a hipster you must have one.

-the more you make people say, "i just don't get it," the more you've arrived.

-high top keds do exist. and men wear them.

-the more unkempt, the better.

and last, but certainly not least...

-when all else fails, look completely aloof.

once we got inside, found a good spot to sit {standing is for the birds...and the hipsters}, continued the people watching fun, and endured the opener {when i say "endured" i'm being kind. i don't even know what was happening behind the curtain, but it wasn't music}, it was time for the wonder and glory to begin.

the band started surrounded by floor to ceiling sheer curtains around the stage, as the music started and the graphics and lights covered the screens.

then the curtains dropped, revealing all the goodness. 

a sigur ros concert is something you just have to experience once in your life, and nothing i could write about it would ever do it justice.

so here's a little taste so you can see for yourself...

bottom line: whatever you do, go see sigur ros.

and stop calling me a hipster already:)

p.s. i will leave you with a joke...

"how did the hipster burn his tongue? 

he drank his coffee before it was cool." 

ba-dum-CHING!

the best christmas surprise EVER!

i have loved patty griffin for quite awhile now.

her voice. her lyrics. her sound.

it all combined puts me in a melancholy burst of ecstasy.

it's the absolute best.

for years, i've dreamed of seeing her in concert, but it never happened for me.

that is until...

mr. lesley slapped these bad boys on the table before we walked out the door for dinner on saturday night as an early christmas present.

i was shocked. 

i had no idea she was even in town.

he told me my sister and i would be going to see her together that night, since he thought we would enjoy the quality time with patty more than he would.

isn't he the absolute best?

i was over the moon excited.

we joined calley and aaron for dinner downtown before parting ways...

girls to the concert of a lifetime.

boys to drinks and sports talk.

and to top it all off, it snowed as we walked to the venue.

minus the snowflakes going up my nose, it was pretty darn perfect.

calley and i were definitely some of the youngest people there, but i didn't care one bit.

patty's voice was like a big stick of butter, and i was instantly mesmerized. 

i could have sat and listened to her sing for hours.

was the concert was so great because of the company? 

of course.

the dream of seeing patty griffin live becoming reality? 

you better believe it.

but the best part had to be getting such a thoughtful surprise from the man i love.

it is so good to be known, isn't it? 

i feel so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man like mr. lesley.

he's the best.

p.s. in case you are unfamiliar with the wonder that is patty griffin, i put together a little sampling of my favorites for you to enjoy.

 

we owned the night.

wednesday night we celebrated my sister turning the big 3-2 with some good old fashion country music.

darius rucket and lady antebellum (HOOTIE HOO!)

it was the best.
and with our amazing seats courtesy of calley's fiance, i definitely felt spoiled.

we arrived just in time to get in on some hootie goodness.

i know, i know.

he's like darius rucker now or something.

but he will always be hootie to me.

we had to take some group photos before lady a came out.

we're all pretty cute, but i think lysh and rachel take the cake with their adorable preggo stomachs. 

and because of them we got a better parking spot:)

soon enough, they dimmed the lights and lady a took the stage.

from that moment on, it was magical.

and about halfway through the night, they even let us come right up to the stage.

and i touched dave haywood's hand!!!! 

(and yes, i definitely felt like a crazy, love sick teenager as i was screaming and falling over people to touch him...wow). 

and when hootie came back to sing a song with them, calley touched his hand.

and i think she cried:)

this was definitely one of my top five favorite concerts.

from the lights and screens to their incredible talent to sharing the night with my sister...

it was a perfect reminder of why i love live music so much.

there is nothing quite like it.

journey: the fifth best american rock band in history

it all began on wednesday night during small group...

mr. lesley brought up journey (pretty normal topic of discussion:)  and the next thing i knew, nancy was inviting me to go with her and krista to the journey concert.

in the back of my head, i just thought she was being nice and that would be the end of it.

but when she emailed me the next day telling me she was going to buy me a ticket and i was going, case closed, i knew she meant business.

and to top it all off, last night's agenda included even more than the concert.

in krista's words "i went to a dinner party, then a house party, and then to a concert! this is the best night ever!"

this is how it all went down...

we started at justin and nancy's for a little dinner and drinks action. 

nancy's "campers' cocktail" and i hit it off right from the start.

the food and company were lovely too. 

next, we went to a friend's house for a little socializing then it was TIME.

we grabbed some beverages, and hit the road with our trusty chauffeurs for the evening (thanks luke and justin!) 

the venue was PACKED! 

so after finding us a prime spot on the grass, i did what any normal girl would do...

put my hair in a side ponytail STAT.

now why didn't anyone remind me to bring my scrunchie?

all i have to say is that when journey took the stage, i couldn't stop fist pumping.

or admiring arnel pineda's white skinny jeans.

or his split jumping skills for that matter.

our fist pumps morphed into outstretched arms and finally to head banging. 

it just made sense.

they rocked, and rocked, and rocked.

well, until the 11 o'clock sound cap.

greenwood village is no new york city, barcelona, or tel aviv that's for sure.

we don't joke around about our sleep.

and before we knew it, it was time for the stage to explode with confetti and everyone to go home:(

this night will definitely go down in the record books. 

thank you ladies for welcoming me with open arms, reminding me that i shouldn't stop believing, and giving me a night that was just the way i wanted it.

you two are the best.

journey, you're not too bad either.

dear death cab...

only you guys can make me teary eyed at a concert. 

"what sarah said" made. my. night.

last days in the pleasant peninsula.

we soaked up our last couple days at the lesley residence by drinking coffee (with cool whip on top, of course...it's the lesley way)...

and fishing at the golf course in mr. lesley's backyard...

i can't say i caught anything, but i learned a mean cast.

then it was time to drive back to grand rapids to join his fam for an amos lee concert at the frederik meijer gardens and sculpture park. 

it was a great performance by mr. lee, but, i must say, the opener, mutlu, was kinda the superstar of the night. 

you should probably check out his music if you know what's good for ya. 

on the way back from the show we were blessed with one beautiful sunset.

on our last day in michigan, i completed my tour and saw my last great lake, lake heron on the beach in the saginaw bay.

on our last morning, we said our goodbyes to mr. lesley's parents and flew back to denver.

it was a little easier to bid them farewell since we set up a facebook for mrs. lesley and taught her all the 

tricks:) 

michigan, i think you won me over.

looks like you'll see me again soon.

smokin' moe's makes dreams come true/ tour de denver 2011.

yesterday was quite the day. 

so full, so good.

mr. lesley's cousin mitch came into town for the weekend, so we took him up to winter park for a little music festival. one of our favorite bands, blind pilot, was playing, and it was free. win, win.

however, as we were driving into winter park, we realized blind pilot actually went on first (not last like we thought) and we missed them. and it was pouring rain.

it felt a little more like a lose, lose at that point...

we tried really hard to enjoy the festival, despite the rain, but at some point you just have to let it go.
we retreated to smokin' moe's for lunch, mostly because there were empty tables and they boasted award-winning bbq.

after being there for awhile, i noticed a band starting to set up on the stage at the front of the restaurant, the clouds parted, a light came from heaven, and i realized that blind pilot was set to play that night at that very restaurant!

there they were. only feet from me!

i spent about the next 30 minutes saying,
"what should i do guys? should i like go up to them and say 'hey, i'm like your biggest fan. can i have a picture?"
"oh my gosh, they're drinking root beer floats. i like root beer floats too!"
and
"what do i have to do to become a groupie?"

finally, and with help from mr. lesley's sister, leighann, we finally went up and asked for a picture.
and then maybe i asked if they would be doing a sound check.
and then maybe i asked if i could make a request.

i'm kinda high maintenance when i need to be.

there was over an hour between when we got the picture and when they actually did the sound check, so mr. lesley, his sister, brother in law, and cousin all decided to go back to the festival, since the sun had finally made an appearance.

i, on the other hand, decided to hang out like a creeper in smokin' moe's, until they played my song!
3 rounds and a sound
picture me with an awkward smile on my face, recording with my phone.
awesome.

when they were finished, i left to join the group.

don't worry though, i made sure to say thank you to the band and chat with them about their upcoming tour dates.

cool as a cucumber. 

the sun was out in all its glory, and we enjoyed some folky blue grass before heading back to denver. 

and if that wasn't enough for a full day, we biked in the moonlight classic that night! 

the moonlight classic is an annual late night 10 mile bike ride through downtown denver to benefit seniors inc. 

mr. lesley's brother in law matt organized a group to ride and even set us up with bikes and helmets since ours are currently out of commission. 

we put on our super intense biking shirts, strapped on our helmets, and took off for the capital building to check in and meet the rest of the bikers. 

the other half of the group earned 2nd place in the costume competition for their pool party theme. 

i'm just glad i didn't have to ride around in a bikini.

then we were off! 

and i kinda loved it.

i had a road bike and leighann said i looked like a natural riding down the street. 

i give all the credit to the shirt.

we stopped off for a little refreshment along the way because you have to stay hydrated. 

it's just smart. 

and then back for more road domination.

around 2 am we finally finished the race and celebrated with free cinnamon rolls...

...and celebratory hand signals!

as you can tell from the incredible shine on my face, it was actually quite a workout.

but i loved every second and will definitely be doing it again next year. 

although next time i will try to think of a winning costume and buy a pair of shorts with butt pads. 

seriously. my butt is still recovering today.

have i mentioned how much i love summer? 

i could really get used to this schedule.

another great day in the mile high city.

sidenote: don't worry. 

vaca recaps will start  back up tomorrow. 

you can stop breathing in a paper bag now.