rock 'n roll

with summer, comes music festivals. this year was the first year for the kanrocksas music festival. i was a little hesitant to see how it would play out, but i was pleasantly surprised. the festival was two days - friday and saturday. evan and i took off a half day on friday to see the lineup and start our musical weekend.

friday schedule:

fitz and the tantrums

artic monkeys

primus

THE flaming lips

eninem

 saturday schedule:

GRACE POTTER and the nocturnals

cage the elephant

flogging molly

a perfect circle

THE black keys

MUSE

  

not a single artist disappointed us. they were all amazing. i was very impressed with fitz and the tantrums. i'd never seen primus, and they were super entertaining. the lips, per usual, put on a fantastic show. i was stoked for saturday. if you haven't already, you NEED to go see grace potter and the nocturnals. no excuses. the boys from the black keys put on a nasty, gritty, sexy show. so much sound for two boys from ohio. and muse...man oh man can matt rip on that guitar. all in all, i thought it was a fantastic lineup and festival. i hope it comes back next year, with killer bands and even more local food vendors.

little green monsters

there has been an invasion.

being a home owner, i took it upon myself to plant a little vegetable garden with some herbs. i've taken great pride in it over the last few weeks. the summer weather has been a struggle, but i've gotten to make a delicious salad with my tomato plant, yellow peppers and basil. i also planted cilantro and jalapenos, in hopes of making some delicious salsa!



first red one!

 a couple days ago, i walked outside to water my luscious plant, to find that it had been destroyed! as a first time gardener, i was baffled. i looked closer at the plant, trying to determine why all the leaves had disappeared. there they were...little green monsters! they were fat and full of my wonderful tomatoes. THIEVES! tomato horned worms. 11 of them.

the after



demon



 

these little buggers thrive in the extreme hot environments of the summer. to help with the circle of life, we made sure to put them out into the yard so the birdies could eat them.

moral of the story, use protection.

always an upside!

traveling for work can be a downer. i love being home and doing everyday things - going to my gym, making my own dinners, SLEEPING IN MY BED. however, there are quiet a few perks to traveling for your job. i get an extra penny or two, bonus. i also get to travel to really fun places that i would never think to go. here's a few pics from my most recent travels.

chicago.

well, if you haven't ever been, you're totally missing out. it's the big city feel without being completely overwhelming. the museums are amazing. we stayed in the heart of downtown - the loop. we also had the amazing experience of seeing a game at wrigley field.  

another place i've never been, but thoroughly enjoyed, was sedona, arizona. the pictures really don't do it justice. it's remarkable how gorgeous these mountains can be, and you find yourself in awe.

but with this beauty, comes disaster. the above picture was taken from the plane. this is an overhead view of the wild fires stretching over miles over arizona.

last but not least, the nation's capital...of canada.

ottawa, ontario is the capital of canada. the city is unbelievably gorgeous. the people are very diverse and have a crazy perspective on weather. rain, shine, ice or -40 below, they are outside doing something. gotta love it!

there will be more to come! my next trip is in sunny san diego!

gumption.

i did it! about six months ago, i decided to start training for a half marathon. i've been inspired by numerous friends and i finally got the ammunition to sign up for a race. boy, did i sign up for a race. i registered for the hospital hill half marathon. the course definitely lives up to the name. the training was the best and the worst part of the weeks leading up to the race. come race day, i was ready. i stayed with my pace group and i finished with a good time, true to my goal.

i couldn't have done it without the support of my amazing boyfriend. he pushed me every step of the way...and the popsicle and beer i got at the finish line.

Summer agenda

despite the insanely hot and humid climate of the midwest summers, there are numerous finds and fun activites to help keep cool and forget about the weather. the farmers market tops my list of saturday morning activities - the fresh produce, spices, homemade food, and flowers are all really great treats! it's also a great way to save some money. buying your produce at the farmers market not only helps the local farmers, but saves a few bucks from purchasing at the store.

and so it begins...

at some points in your life, you have an 'ah ha!' moment. other times, there are just those moments that fly by and you don't give them a second thought. throughout the last few years of my life, i've learned so much about myself, my friends, and life in general, with those 'ah ha' moments. i've been inspired and hurt, but i have grown from all of them. this blog is dedicated to all of those moments - inspirational and fly-bys.