McMenamins Edgefield - Death Cab For Cutie Plays Transatlanticism

It has been a long time since I have blogged.  I got distracted with all kinds of things, one of which was I could not decide if I wanted to pay blogger to host more pictures here on my blog.  I love taking lots of pictures and was trying to decide if I wanted to keep blogging or just let it go.  In the end, I decided I miss my blog.  It is fun for me to go back and read through and see all of the things I have created/done.  SO, I'm back!! (said in my most creeper voice).  

This weekend I got to go see Death Cab for Cutie.  I had not been to a show in awhile and it was so fun to relax and dance and sing and just be not a mommy for a few minutes.  Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with all the mommy chores I have to do that I forget who I am.  They played the entire Transatlanticism album (they are only doing this in two venues so it was pretty sweet) and then they played a few other songs which they called "part II."  I was impressed with how much they sounded exactly like they do on the album when performing live.  Amazing live show! A band called Deep Sea Diver opened for them.  They had a good sound and I liked them a lot.  I had a really good night! 
 

 Setlist

The New Year
Lightness
Title and Registration
Expo '86
The Sound of Settling
Tiny Vessels
Transatlanticism
Passenger Seat
Death of an Interior Decorator
We Looked Like Giants
A Lack of Color
I Will Possess Your Heart
Photobooth
You Are a Tourist
Cath...
Soul Meets Body

Encore:

405
A Movie Script Ending
Crooked Teeth
 

 

Newport, OR - Part I

 As one of our summer activities, I knew I wanted to take the kids to the coast and we decided on Newport because it had the aquarium, and poor E has been going through aquarium withdrawals.  We totally miss going to SeaLife in AZ together and seeing all the fishies.  It was our happy place to mellow out. 

I had all these plans of doing activities (pulled taffy, aquarium port holes craft, tissue paper fishes) with the kids during the week leading up to the trip, but being a faker single mom is exhausting (seriously, don't know how real single mommies do it and work) and those SO did not happen *sigh*  Maybe next time.  I really wanted to make pulled taffy with the kids.

First stop . . . the beach.  Kids were really excited to get to use their sand toys in sand.  I was really excited to listen to the soothing sounds of the ocean and take some pictures.  Hubs was still working, so he worked on scouting out a spot that his web access would still work, and then finally gave up and played kites with us for a bit.

Littles building sand castles.  I showed them how to pack the sand in to make it come out more perfectly.

Coastal View . . . so soothing to my soul

Em perfecting the art of dumping a bucket out

Nothing says fun like finding "treasures" from the ocean

My deep thinker, pondering the vastness of the ocean

Flying the pirate kite with their Dad

Mic, taking flying the kite seriously

Mandy Monday - Episode 3

Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

1.  My number one fear for sure is losing a child, either through death, illness, kidnapping, injury, whatever.  I  don't know what I would do without any of them.  Sometimes I see parents who are all free with their kiddos, letting them do whatever and wander and barely seem like they know where they are, and I am jealous because I wish I could be like that, but I am always stressing that I know where they are, holding their hands tight.  I might be just a tad overprotective.  I just love them all so much.  I'm not sure how this became a fear, probably out of necessity, we live in a scary society, with all sorts of crazies, and kids have like zero self preservation skills.

2.  My second fear is going crazy/losing my mind.  I am not sure what brought on this fear, or where it is founded, but I don't like the idea of losing control of my most important feature that makes me who I am.

3.  My third fear is fear of failing.  I hate not winning.  I hate not being right.  I think this fear came from seeing the results of failed marriage, and other failures and I just don't want to be like that.  It is hard sometimes because sometimes I find this fear leads me to make choices that might seem out of character.  Perhaps we all fear this though so maybe I am just completely normal on this one.  *smiles*  Hope so!

Anyway, thanks for visiting for a glimpse into my messed up mind/the private personal me.  Haha!  

Challenger Space Center

We had planned to go to Sedona this weekend, but we woke up and had a slow breakfast, and when I looked online, I discovered that the leaves were not changing as much as I had hoped they would be, so we decided to wait a couple weekends.  We went through our list of stuff to do while still in AZ, and decided upon the Space Center.  

The drive was only about an hour.  We ended up getting there close to 1pm.  The museum closed at 4.  We started our adventure with their liquid nitrogen demonstration.  It was really cool.  The kids really enjoyed it!  Afterwards, we went on a tour of the facilities.  We learned about all kinds of astronauts and attempts to go into space.  We got to see the tire of a space shuttle after it had been used up (apparently they can only be used twice).  The kids got to see a small collection of meteorites and even got to hold one (and they were surprisingly more heavy than we expected). It was an interesting museum.  I thought it was a bit overpriced for what was there, but other than that, we had a good time.

 J building while waiting for the Liquid Nitrogen demo

E listening to some music :)  Haha

J's finished project

Blowing up balloons to stuff in the cooler of liquid nitrogen 

Holding a chunk of meteorite 

Posing as an astronaut - haha!  E didn't want to do it. 

Em and the gyroscope

E and M playing with all the buttons and switches

Arizona State Fair - Weezer Show

When I heard Weezer would be at the Arizona State Fair, I knew I had to be there!  The last time Weezer was coming to AZ, their tour bus got in a wreck and they had to cancel the show.

Our family had never been to the state fair.  We got a sitter for the younger two and took Em and J to their first concert ever.  Em was really excited, J was more excited about the rides than he was to go to the show.

We got there about an hour before the doors opened.  Em and J did the read and ride program.  You read three books and write a summary of about 25 words about each one, then you turn it in at the guest services booth and they gave us these awesome ride tickets worth three rides, any three rides, regardless of ticket amount.  We figure it saved us about $30, well worth doing.  It was enough rides that it made the fair fun for the kids.  We did not buy any tickets.  We did two rides before the show and one afterward.  The only thing we wanted to do, but didn't, was the zip line.  It looked SO fun!  

E and J decided to do the Sky Flyer as their first ride.

Sky Flyer in action

Posing and being goofy!

The Cyclone was what they chose as their second ride - it was a spin ride like teacups but elevated in the air

J really wanted to go on one of these haunted house/zombie rides, but E could not be convinced

Waiting for the concert to begin, and E making her =W=

Rivers rocking it

 

Pat and Scott (who looked super buffed up- someone has been hitting the gym)

J watching the show . . . his very first concert

I love this green guitar Rivers has!  Pretty!

My fam at the end of the show

E and J overlooking the rides at the fair

J really liked Behemoth Bug Land (it was really cool).  This is the mosquito

Ladybug and Locust

Black Widow

Awesome and disturbing . . . because everything tastes better dipped in chocolate

Their third ride, Crazy Coaster -- roller coaster that spins like teacups while you go

We wandered through the Agriculture Building and the Arts &Crafts Building

Cutest BIG bunny

Such a pretty chocolate brown color -- this totally makes me want a bunny!

Brand new baby chicks :-)