I've been meaning to post pictures from the Race For the Cure this year. It was back in May. Gretchen and I finished first and second. We were running our own race. Both times I've done this race, I've been really inspired by the breast cancer survivors. I just think as I run "okay, pick up foot, pick up other foot - you can do this - the person in front of you has gone through so much more." It was a good day. I felt like jello for like 3 days afterwards.
Cue Rockapella. My best friend, Ann, took off yesterday for Slovakia - where she will spend the next 6 weeks. I envy this part of Ann. Her heart to serve others. I wish I was made of more of that. I have a twinge, but Ann, Ann would give all she has for someone else. It's admirable. Please pray for her while she's in Slovakia. I'll miss talking to her on the phone everyday - thank God for e-mail and myspace!
I fell behind on the blog again. So, sue me. No, seriously, don't. I have a lot going on right now and I don't have time for a lawsuit - or money for a lawyer. I am so off my game this week. It's been really weird. I still haven't unpacked from my trip to Virginia last week/weekend. My house is a mess (which is really not like me). I feel like the laundry is closing in on me. I just woke up and ate breakfast food. Usually I eat breakfast food in the morning before I go to bed. (that's my "normal") Now, I'm starting the coffee consumption about an hour and a half earlier than normal, which could either be a good thing, or it could backfire, we'll see...
Oh, happy First Day of Summer, everyone! And Happy Anniversary to my mom and Dave! Just to think, on this day, 11 years ago, I had really poofed out hair and I was wearing a really unfortunate long pink dress that had short sleeves and shoulder pads that I swear were big enough to use as dessert plates.
This morning, Brueger's Bagels stopped by the station and brought us iced coffee and bagels. That iced coffee was AMAZING, let me just tell you. They did it right. The coffee was raspberry cream flavored, which is something that I would never choose myself, but it was quite delightful... they even gave us little cups of ice and a canister of whipped cream! Shout out Bruegers! I hope I'm spelling your name right, and if you had a location that was convenient to me, I would totally stop by on my way to work tonight. I'm drinking Pumpkin Spice coffee right now, which I realize makes no sense on the first day of summer, but hey - like I said - I'm off my game, and I am apparently just lazy enough to not grind coffee tonight. Pitiful.
Have you guys heard the U2/Mary J. Blige version of "One"? Download it. It's brilliant.
Okay... so.. drum roll... you're about to see Kenny Chesney's backside. My sister swears he's had butt implants since last summer. I don't know about that - but I do know that little man can wear a pair of jeans! It's too bad I had to break up with him - but he's smaller than me, and that's just a deal breaker... you know, kind of like smoking, or being married.
The concert was AWESOME. I'm telling you, even if you don't like Kenny Chesney - go to his concert anyway. You'll become a fan! You can just tell he's having a blast up there and that makes for such an experience. I can totally see why he won Entertainer of the Year.
Okay, pictures:
This is Heinz Field, as seen from my SUV. We really should have abandoned the car at this point, jumped in the Allegheny and swam our way to the North Shore. Can I just tell you - we spent 3 hours sitting in traffic getting to the concert! It was awful. We were seriously considering just leaving the car on the parkway at one point. We were going to pool our cash to bail it out of impound after the show. Thankfully, we eventually found a place to park for $30.
Here's a cool thing about going to a Kenny Chesney concert: Tailgating! We were only able to chill in the parking lot long enough to drink a bottle of water - but it was still fun. Shout out to Scott Stiller for providing the drinks.
It's crazy, people! I haven't ever been to a Steelers game, but now I can just imagine how crazy it must get out there in the parking lot on game day!
Flip Flip Summer Tour 2007. The show was incredible. We missed Pat Greene, but that's okay. As we found our seats, Sarah Evans was starting to play. Then Sugarland. **They were AWESOME. I totally dowloaded all of their songs the next day. Jennifer Nettles is a great performer. Brooks & Dunn were pretty good, but you know what? I just felt like they weren't that into it. Kenny, well, Kenny's Kenny and you know how I feel about him.
This is my friend from work, Peggie. I found her through the miracle that is text messaging. It's a beautiful thing. Peg is friends with the guy who is the superintendent of security at Heinz Field. If I was going to get backstage, he was going to be my chance. Ironically, his name was Ken. He took Kenny Chesney the day before to workout at the Steelers' gym, cool, huh? Well, I asked him to get us backstage, but he told me that Kenny didn't have a sponsored meet & greet this year, so he was only meeting sick children and athletes. I told him I played Varsity Softball in high school, apparently that wasn't good enough. :( Oh well. It's okay.
Ann and I keep it real. Straw hats and all.
Emily and I both rocked the long necklaces.
I knew he was going to start in the middle of the field because I saw Anderson Cooper interview him on 60 Minutes earlier this year and they showed how they roll him around inside a road case before the concert. He's in there all folded up, drinking a margarita. So cool.
Good butt shots, huh? What do you think, implants? I certainly hope not. If I knew Kenny was in the market for a bigger butt - I would have definitely been a donor. I know I would have been a match and I have plenty to go around. :)
We sang and sang and sang. I thought we were going to lose our voices, but we didn't. Seriously, GO SEE HIM. It is awesome!!!
Did you guys see this? Howard Fineman, of Newsweek, gives Pittsburgh a major shout-out... and I couldn't agree with him more.
He speaks of Young Mayor Luke, the past, the future, you get it... check it "aht."
I'm going to have to dust off my cowboy hat, it's summertime!!
For the next 24 hours, I will listen exclusively to Kenny Chesney songs, and at 5:00pm, I'm going to try to score a couple of shirts that will hopefully win us a chance at getting backstage so we can meet little Kenny!
I am such an enabler. Take a look at the pictures below. Yes, that's Gretchen with the Bus, again. She totally had a one on one interview with him in the green room at the station. He signed her picture. Gave her a giant hug. Told her how he travels from Atlanta to Detroit to Pittsburgh. How often he works out. She made his day when she busted out his college card. It was one of those days you know at the time, you'll never forget.
Okay, so it's been a while since I shared a little Brokaw story, so, humor me? Brokaw's new thing is toys that make noises like they're real. He has a duck that quacks, a little monkey that makes a noise (not sure exactly how to describe that one). Well, he destroys these poor animals. Tears their noise makers right out. So, Friday I went to Target (of course) and got him this new little frog. $5.00. So cute. It croaks. Well, sadly, now it has croaked. It took Brokaw all of what? 5 days to destroy it? This could get expensive... He needs these real-life animal friends so that he doesn't chew things I need, like the remote...
Oh, and I have to post this picture of B-dawg with his best bud, Doc. We tied them up in Gretchen's back yard while we ate pizza. It was Doc's job to occupy Brokaw during dinner so he wouldn't obnoxiously beg. I'm sorry. I have one of those dogs. I know, it's my fault.
So, I wore white pants to work last night. The same white pants I spent all summer last year trying on, and trying on... and never wore. I'm proud of myself for wearing them. I'm so self-conscious of my thighs. I don't even like them in khakis, let alone white pants. But, I did it. Mission accomplished.
Saturday I went suit shopping. THAT was fun. Not swimsuit. Ick. Suit suit. I'm such a work nerd - I love work clothes!
OOOHHH -- and I got my hair cut. Too bad only one person at work noticed. I'll have to self photograph in the car and post a new pic. :)
Let's see.. what else is going on? Not much, clearly, since I'm rambling about clothes. But at least I'm making an effort to blog more often. Guess I'm going for quantity, not quality.
I am EXHAUSTED this morning. Long night. They always are on Sunday/Monday. I got about an hour and a half of sleep yesterday. But I did watch the Democrats debate, that was fun. I just love that stuff... I'm looking forward to the GOP's turn Tuesday night!
Oh, and my neti pot arrived in the mail! I think I'm too tired to do it this morning though. And I'm semi-afraid I may drown.
Kenny Chesney concert countdown: 5 days
Trip home to Virginia countdown: 8 days
I'm glad the temps dropped... yay for free A/C!
