Guster Love

John and I recently went to see Guster when they were in town.  I was thinking about it, and I'm pretty sure it's the sixth time I've seen them.  As always, they put on a great show.  And I get all nostalgic about the other times I have seen them.  It's funny, but they are kind of part of the story of John and me getting together.  So if you'll indulge me (or don't, I'll never know if you stop reading now), here's some random stories about past Guster concerts and miscellany.

Summer 2004:  Ben Folds was playing in Indianapolis.  My family had just moved there and I had exactly zero friends.  I convinced my brother to drive up and we went to the concert.  A band we had never heard of was co-headlining, and I was an instant fan.  Pretty much immediately bought all of their albums and told everyone I knew to listen to them.

April 2006:  Guster played in Lincoln, where I was in college.  John and I were good friends, and I convinced him to go along.  I'm sure I had made him listen to them a fair amount by then.  (Full disclosure: I had a boyfriend at the time, but he lived out of town, and well... we didn't really like each other by that point, but I think were waiting to break up in person).

May 2006:  I was packing up to go home for the summer.  John was hanging out while I packed. I remembered that I wanted to pre-order the new album that was going to release later that summer.  John insisted that he would buy it for me.  At the time, I had no idea why, but looking back, we were obviously in love with each other.  I just still happened to have that boyfriend, who I really wasn't even talking to at that point.  Oops.  Really should have just done a phone break up.

July 2006:  After getting back to Indy, officially becoming single again, and talking to John on the phone for hours most days, he came to visit and asked me to be his girlfriend.  Well, of course!  The next day, we went downtown with the intention of attending a baseball game, but then decided to just walk around instead.   The canal is ridiculously romantic anyway, and we were just enjoying the evening strolling along being obnoxiously happy.  As we walked, we started to hear music from the nearby White River State park, so we headed that direction to see who was playing.   You'll never guess.  Okay, it's obvious by now that it was Guster.  I had no idea they were in town, or we would have gotten tickets!  But it all worked out because you can hear perfectly from outside of the venue, so we just sat on a bench and got a free concert.  It was one of the most fun coincidences ever.  And I cannot confirm or deny, but it's possible that we first said "I love you" while they were playing Diane.    

Okay, I guess that's the end of the significant moments.  Since then, John and I just go see them whenever they are nearby.  I think their 2010 stop in Omaha was one of the best concerts I've been to.   And at this most recent show, we randomly ran into 2 of my old co-workers and had fun catching up with them.

waiting for the doors to open in the freezing wind

I totally failed at taking outfit photos, which is a bummer, because I actually wore my hair down since Mr. Baby wasn't with us. (Sidenote- there were 2 little kids at the show, like 3-4 years old.  Come on, get a babysitter!  Poor little dudes looked miserable).   But if you are curious, I wore my elephant tee shirt, camel cardigan, skinny jeans, and cognac boots.  And the waitress at dinner LOVED my shirt.

 

Eight

It's hard to believe that John and I got married eight years ago!  It has gone by so fast and this last year has been pretty amazing!  And now our family looks like this:

Weekend in Des Moines

Friday after work, John and I hit the road for a weekend away.  Since we prefer a short drive, our destination of choice was Des Moines, IA!  My most difficult task - trying really really really hard to not sing "You really ought to give Iowa a try!" all weekend.  (Where my Music Man fans at??)

We rolled into our hotel around 9:30, and there just happened to be a Sister Hazel concert on the green space right next to it.  We listened to them for a bit, and then went looking for a coffee shop, or (let's be honest) dessert.

I highly suggest Java Joes, if you are ever in downtown Des Moines.  They have ice cream AND board games.  We played Scrabble, because that's what we do.  It was an epic game, with FIVE seven-letter plays.  It was crazy.  At the end, we realized that the set was missing the J and X, so that really changed the dynamic.  Okay, I'm talking about Scrabble too much.  Moving on...

On Saturday, we went to check out the Farmer's Market and then walked down to the sculpture park.  It was a little warm out, but the park was really cool.  And I did cliche poses, because that's what bloggers do!

After hiding inside for a little while in the afternoon, we got cleaned up and went to dinner here.  (We tried to go here, but the line to even put your name in was out the door, so we abandoned that plan pretty quickly.)  Then we were on a mission to find some live music.  The internet wasn't helpful, but we noticed some guys setting up sound equipment and went to check it out.  Success!  They were a cover band, and played an assortment of stuff, but mostly 90s alt-rock, which we were happy with.  Then we may have gone back to Java Joe's.  Because what's a Saturday evening without board games? 

Sunday was my favorite.  A little backstory - I can't ride a bike (Or really do anything that requires balance, like skating, or you know, walking without frequently tripping).  But I really love the idea of going on a bike ride.  During our walk around the lake last week, we saw a guy on a recumbent trike, and I decided that would be the perfect solution!  I've heard of the Trestle Trail, and wanted to try it out.  So we rented trikes and had the best time!  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, so that helped.  And now I want a trike!  So if anyone is looking to get me a very expensive birthday present, there's a hint.   

After that, we were starving, and ended up at Jethro's BBQ.  Amazing!  I would eat smoked turkey every day.  Then we thought a movie would be fun.  Lucy started out cool, and then just got really weird and boring.  So, I don't recommend it.

Then we drove home.  It was a really fun weekend!  Des Moines gets my stamp of approval for an easy weekend away.   

7 Years

Today marks 7 years since John and I got married (and 8 since we started dating).  I am genetically predisposed towards sentimentality/nostalgia, so I like to think back to what I've been up to each year on this date.  Back in 2012, I wrote a whole week of posts about July 28th.  Some of you may have seen them, but I think I had about 9 followers back then (and surely I have DOZENS of followers now), so if you are interested in anniversary recaps, here you go: 

2006,  2007,  2008,  2009,  2010,  2011, 2012

Last year, we spent the day driving home from the Montana trip, but we got home in time for our traditional anniversary dinner at Noodles&Co, and then went on an official anniversary date later.

This year, we decided at the last minute to go on a little weekend trip to Des Moines.  I know - that's the top place you think of for a romantic getaway!  But when you live in the middle of the country, there aren't many options for a drive-able weekend away.  Honestly, we had a blast.  I'll work on a full recap for later this week, but you can see a few pics on Instagram.  Spoiler alert - there may be tricycles involved.

Anyway, an anniversary is a good excuse to share a couple more of my favorite wedding pictures.  And otherwise, just be thankful for such a wonderful husband.  (Blah, blah, blah - sappy love stuff - I can't even write it without feeling cheesy, but I really do love this guy!)  

 Happy 7 years! Here's to many more!

Vacation Recap

I spent most of last week on the Ruby Princess.  It was fantastic!  When I started reviewing pictures, I realized that there aren't many.  I may get fired from blogging, but I'm okay with that.  Sometimes, it is better to just enjoy life, instead of worrying about making sure I document it for the internet.  Right?!     

On Easter Sunday, we went straight to the airport after church.  We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale late, and got checked into our hotel, and then immediately went to walk along the beach.  It was so nice out!  I just love the ocean!  But it was late and we were tired after the long day of travel, so we didn't stay out too long.
 

Monday was spent entirely at Ft. Lauderdale beach.  It was gorgeous there!  The weather was perfect, and the ocean provided fun waves to play in.  I'm basically a little kid when you take me to the ocean.  I love playing in the waves!!  I also forget to re-apply sunscreen when I'm having so much fun, and end up slightly fried.  Oops!

On Tuesday, we went to the beach in the morning, where it promptly started to rain.  So we took cover at a little coffee shop nearby, and at least looked at the ocean while we ate breakfast.  Then we checked out of our hotel and headed to the cruise port.  First order of business - taking a photo on the balcony!  

Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday, and Friday were all boat days.  These days consisted mainly of sleeping in, eating breakfast, and then heading out to the pool area.  I'd sit in the sun reading until I got too hot, and then get into the pool until I got too cold, repeat, repeat, eat lunch at some point, repeat, repeat, until it was time to get ready for dinner.  Then we'd get cleaned up and head to dinner. 

After dinner, we would go back to our room and build a precarious tower to set the camera on, and get some pictures.  Then we'd head back out to the various entertainment options that the cruise ship offers.  One night, we went to a game show called "Majority Rules," where they ask subjective questions, and everyone submits their answers, and you get a point if you had the most popular answer.  We were very surprised when they announced the winners!  Team 18 = John and Andi!  Whoo!  Apparently we are good at guessing what a roomful of senior citizens will think!     

Thursday was my half-birthday, and we celebrated by going to Grand Turk!  It was probably my best half-birthday ever.  The taxi driver was super nice and gave an informative tour on the drive to the beach.  The beach was beautiful and not too crowded.  I got a nice little spot in the shade, and wore my towel like a superhero cape.  I looked really cool, trust me.  Other than the overpriced lunch ($18 for chicken tenders, what?), it was a perfect day at the beach.     

Another one of my favorite things to watch was the karaoke.  They do this "Princess Pop Star" competition, which is supposed to be like American Idol.  This makes me so uncomfortable, but I can't look away!  I don't know who tells these people that they are good at singing.  The most awkward moment was a guy who sang a song with several f-bombs in it, and then he paused during the musical interlude to witness to the entire crowd.  Dude, if you are going to share the love of Jesus, you might try picking a song without so many cuss words!  In case you are wondering, he didn't win.    

We were asked a handful of times if we were on our honeymoon, and people are shocked when we say we've actually been married 6.5 years.  At dinner, we sat in the same table, next to the same people each night.  The woman sitting at the table next to us said she was surprised that we aren't newlyweds, because we are so attentive to each other.  I'm not sure what that means.  Should we be ignoring each other by now??

 

Speaking of marriage, another fun/awkward cruise program is The MARRIAGE GAME!  It's super awkward but quite hilarious.  They have 3 couples on stage, and ask them questions to see if they give the same answers.  Some of the questions are very personal, so I don't know why anyone would volunteer for it.  I'd die of embarrassment.  So if you ever go on a cruise, you've been warned.  Don't volunteer for the marriage game show!  

I'd say it was a pretty successful vacation!  I read a lot, slept a lot, and spent almost every minute with my favorite guy.  So yeah, excellent week!  I'll leave you with this pretty sunrise picture that John took from our balcony.  I was fast asleep, but look how pretty!  I just love the ocean!  

6 Years!

This is a couple weeks late, but as of July 28th, John and I have been married for 6 years.  It also marks 7 years since our first date, because we are cool and got married on our date-iversary!  Last year, I did a full week of anniversary posts, so I will keep it simple this year.  Since we were driving back from Montana on our actual anniversary, we went on our official anniversary date last weekend.  Nothing too fancy, just a nice dinner and a random movie.  You can tell it was a special occasion because I actually put on eye makeup.

I don't want to get to sappy on the internet, but I will just say that I am so happy this guy decided to keep me.  I think he's pretty wonderful!   Here's to 70-ish** more years of marriage! 

Dress: Gibson&Latimer via Dillard's
Cardigan: Gap
Sandals: Carlos Santana
Necklace: H&M

**or maybe more?   I heard a rumor that life expectancy may be on the rise - although living to 100 seems like a really long time.  This post just took a weird turn.  More evidence that I am lucky John puts up with me.   

Engage-iversary Day

2006 - Just engaged!

Now that I've been blogging for a whole year, I have to be careful about repeating posts, especially on important days.  Today marks 6 years since John asked me to marry him.  I was thinking I should write our engagement story, but I already did that last year!  Since I had approximately 7 followers then, maybe it's okay to repeat a little bit.  Or perhaps I should tell "the rest of the story."

• I think it was in September when John first asked me to marry him.  It was a very casual conversation and I was not really surprised that he asked.  I was kind of surprised at the timing, since we had only been dating for a couple months. I think we both knew this was the real deal before we started dating, so I agreed right away.  I really wish I knew the exact date, because then I would have another excuse to celebrate each year. 
• Once we decided to get married, we starting thinking about when we should get married.  Summer of 2008 seemed like the responsible choice, since he would be done with school in May08.  Of course, we decided summer 2007 would be better, but late in the summer, to give us time to plan.  But early enough that we could go on our honeymoon before school started in August.  Looking at the calendar, our 1-year dating anniversary was a Saturday in late July.  Decision made.
• Working back from our decided wedding date, we figured we would need about 6 months to plan, so we should get engaged around Christmas.  
• I wanted John to talk to my dad before we got engaged, so we decided it would be good for him to come with me for Thanksgiving, meet my whole family, and have "the talk."  My dad is a pastor, so he is super busy around holidays all the time, so I let him know that he needed to carve out some time to talk to John.  I imagined them sitting at a coffee shop and chatting.  My dad took him on hospital visits, and they talked as they drove from hospital to hospital.  Welcome to the family!
• Since the whole proposal wasn't going to be a surprise, John asked me if I wanted him to pick out my ring by himself, or if I wanted to help.  I thought it would be fun to go together, so when we got back from Thanksgiving break, we started ring shopping.  The ring was going to be ready for pick up on Dec 8th, which was a Friday.  I worked until 5 or 6 that day, so we made a date for Saturday evening.  When John picked up the ring, he couldn't wait, so we moved our date to that night. 
• Legend says that some friends from John's dorm were trying to convince him to play video games that night, which he declined.  Allegedly, he had breakfast with those same friends the next morning and didn't mention anything about being engaged, but discussed video games in great detail.  They still make fun of him for this.  

Sometimes, I hear other proposal stories and think it would have been fun to be surprised with some huge romantic gesture, but I don't think I'm really the "huge romantic gesture" type of girl.  I mean, sometimes I hear other proposal stories and think "wow, that is so cheesy!"

I think our story is just perfect for us.      

     

Half a Decade

On Saturday, John and I celebrated 5 years of marriage!  If you have been hanging around the blog this week, you knew this was happening.  If you want to know how we spent the last several July 28ths, catch up here:

 2006,  2007,  2008,  2009,  2010,  2011

Anyway, for the big 5 year anniversary, we took a trip to St. Croix.  I tried to trick John into another vacation but he was to smart to fall for it, so on Saturday, we just hung around here.  We went to brunch and then had a lazy afternoon.  John got me a new iPod, so I was playing around getting it set up.  Then we went out for a nice dinner.   Here we are dressed up for dinner: 

At the restaurant, I asked John to take a few outfit photos, which proved more difficult than we expected.  The wind was not cooperating:  

 

We finally got a few good ones:  

We had a lovely dinner and then walked around the outdoor mall.  There was some live music, but I think we were a few decades younger than the intended demographic, so we didn't hang around too long.

On Sunday, we continued the anniversary festivities with Noodles&Company for lunch after church.  

Sunday evening, we went to see Weezer - one of our favorite bands!  I remember listening to the Blue album when it came out (many many years ago).  I thought Buddy Holly and Undone were the coolest songs ever.  It kind of blows my mind that 17 years later, I'm at a Weezer concert with my husband of 5 years, listening to them play those songs.  Ten-year-old Andi would never believe it!   

Anyway, I'd say it was a pretty successful anniversary.  Here's to many more years!

Top: Preston&York
Skirt and Belt: Limited
Necklace: inPink
Shoes: Steve Madden

Anniversary Week - 4 years!

2011 - Last year, we bought a house at the end of June, so we were in money-saving mode, so we decided to have another low-key anniversary.  If you haven't figured out the trend yet, we went to Noodles&Co on the 28th, which was a Thursday.  Then that weekend, we went to a local vineyard on Saturday, but didn't take many pictures.  For dinner, we dressed up and went out to one of my favorite restaurants.  We spent the rest of the weekend being lazy, because that was really all we wanted to do.  2011 was a pretty crazy summer for both of us at work, plus I had several trips out of town, and then we were busy getting packed up and moving.  It was pretty great to have the weekend to do nothing!

Which brings us to our 5th anniversary tomorrow.  I really can't believe how quickly the time has gone.  We will be celebrating 10 years before I know it!

Anniversary Week - 3 years!

 

2010 - For our 3rd anniversary, we decided to keep it simple and just went out to dinner.  I was happy for an excuse to wear this dress.  Since it's white, I can't wear it to weddings, and I don't have a lot of other dressy events to attend in the summer.

For some reason, I was posing with the roses John got me.  This was a pretty good outfit picture, before I was even blogging my outfits!   

Calvin Klein dress, Mossimo shoes

Of course, on the 28th, we went to dinner at Noodles&Co!

I'm also guest posting for Amber, over at Obviously Obsessed.  She asked me to write about a favorite vacation, so I figured I would go along with my anniversary theme and write about our honeymoon to Jamaica.  Go check it out!

Anniversary week - 2 years!

2009 - For our second anniversary, we decided to take a very quick weekend trip over to Lincoln.  First, we spent that Saturday at a local vineyard.  It was really beautiful to walk around and just relax while tasting some of their wine options.

Then we headed to downtown Lincoln and checked into our hotel.  I worked at this hotel gift shop while I was in college, so it was kind of weird to be a guest there.  Then we got all dressed up and went out to dinner at Misty's, which is where we ate the night we got engaged.

After dinner, we went and saw one of the worst movies ever.  Then we walked around campus and the Haymarket, which is pretty empty in the summer.    

July 28th was a Tuesday in 2009, and it was the day before we were driving to Colorado for my family reunion.  My mom, sister and nieces were crashing at our place on their trip across America, so we all went to Noodles&Co.  

John also got me some really cool roses!  I'm sure they have a name, but I don't know it, so I'm sticking with "really cool".