It's been kind of a busy week here, but not a bad one by any means. I hope you had an ok week too!
This song was released two weeks ago, and I've started doing that awful FB thing where I "save" everything and then rarely revisit the links... so I forget to listen to new songs.. all of the time. Holy cow! This song is so freaking good. The lyrics are dynamite. - that's not even a cool thing to say... but I don't care. This is my new jam.
Gahhhh! I love it! Anyhow, what do you guys have planned this weekend? My dad and grandma are flying in to see everyone and to meet baby Darrick. We'll spend time with them tonight and Sunday. On Saturday KC is doing a MTG tournament with his friends. I'll probably hang out at home and try to read and do some unpacking. I should really do some meal prep... we shall see! :P I am almost done with the first Mistborn book, and now that I have time to read... I'm really into it! ALSO, NEXT WEEK IS KC'S BDAY WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) Other Posts This Week: Mini Mini Scrap Album, Oscar's Dresses 2017, and Two Months In // 2017 Goal Progress. XO, Alexandra
Wayyy back in August, KC and I + my friend (and ex-roomie) Jessica headed to Tulsa to see Coldplay. (see the concert recap, here.)
This was a bucket list item for her, and I really wanted to see them again, of course.. just a few weeks later they announced a show in KCMO... which would have been easier... but oh well! :)
We spent just a day in Tulsa, but we had a few good meals and lots of fun!
The BOK is the COOLEST looking arena!!
see?!
Eat: We had dinner at El Guapo's a Mexican restaurant downtown. It was really good and had a fun atmosphere. A bonus is that it was a short walk to the BOK center for our concert. The prickly pear margaritas were great! We had breakfast at Dilly Diner which was GREAT and had HUGE pancakes. I loved the retro (yet modern...?) vibe in there! It was farm-to-table too which was a plus.
See: Downtown, BOK Center, Philbrook Museum of Art (& Gardens).
Shop: We really didn't shop much. We stopped in the Philbrook gift shop. There is a HUGE used bookstore there (Gardener's) .. .but we did not stop... 1) time, and 2) book ban. : /
Do: See a concert at the BOK. Visit the Philbrook Museum of Art.
Favorites: Coldplay, prickly pear margaritas, the garden view at the Philbrook.
New Experiences: Traveling with a friend, a lack-luster airbnb experience.
Have you been to an arena concert?
Have you seen Coldplay live? See my recap of the concert, here.
If you've been reading this blog for a bit... or know me IRL, you'll know that I absolutely love this album.
For whatever reason it reminds me of winter. I think I listened to it a lot (or some of the songs) one winter when I spent a lot of time in the car with my mom and sister.... anyhow, it's basically all I listen to in November. November's actually been a really hard motnh for me in the last 6 or so years... but at least I have this album to get me through it! ;) Hey, and maybe this year it will be AMAZING!
It's really tough to have a favorite track... because I listen to it on loop... but "Green Eyes" is a contender.
They don't play this a lot, because it's about someone who isn't in the picture anymore... but KC has green eyes... and it always makes me smile.
It's happy and a bit upbeat. Much of the album is really mellow.
On the other end of the spectrum... is Warning Sign... which always makes me weepy. But I love it so much.
I don't know, I can just relate to feeling kind of dreary when I miss KC sometimes. Nothing's really wrong... I just miss him. Sometimes I think we all get that way when we are overwhelmed, over booked, or apart for a long time.
It's occuring to me that this year, I should listen on vinyl at home! We have the LP and I have no idea why we haven't been listening to it!!
Do you have music that makes you think of a certain season?
Is November a crummy month for anyone else? - Here's hoping it's great this year!
Anyone else jonesing for Christmas... ? Over the years I am ready sooner and sooner... which makes November a tough month for Coldplay... I'm ready for Christmas music. haha
What are you up to this weekend? I'm going to be in full blown crafting and baby shower prep mode!
This week was a little bit different because KC, my friend Jessica, and I all took off Thursday afternoon to drive to Tulsa, OK (~3.5 hours) for the Colplay A Head Full of Dreams concert. KC and I saw them back in 2012 for Mylo Xyloto and had such a blast that we knew we needed to see them again. When they didn't tour for Ghost Stories... (I mean outside of Tokyo, Paris, etc.) I was really disappointed! I loved that album. Anyhow, when they announced this tour, we knew we needed to grab tickets, and also help Jessica cross this off her bucket list! :) I'm SO glad that we did!
So today I am sharing one of my favorite tracks from Ghost Stories, "Magic," and then I'll give a quick concert recap. Kind of like I did with T-Swift and J.Lo. :)
I think the lyrics to this song are really sweet and hopeful, and I think that the video and all of the album art are so clever and lovely. Did you guys hear this one? Also, I mean, this song is just so romantic. Sigh, I'm a sucker for that.
Anyhow, I definitely recommend listening to more of their stuff if you haven't kept up with them over the past like 20 years. HA - there have been so many iterations of their music during that time.
As expected, they played a lot of songs from their new album, A Head Full of Dreams. But they also played some songs from Ghost Stories (THIS ONE! MAGIC!), as well as some popular singles. I don't think they can get away with doing a show without playing "Yellow" or "The Scientist". :)
They also dedicated "Everglow" to all the parts of the world that are hurting right now. So of course I sobbed. Not that I didn't already shed tears during other songs. I had SO MANY FEELINGS.
As with last time the visual aspects of the show were really incredible. We had blinking wrist bands, the screens, lights, and other props were really awesome... they even had some pyrotechnics this time! And the confetti! So much confetti! :)
So (yet) another concert lesson for you guys: sometimes it's worth the drive and a little bit of planning to see an incredible show. :)
So there you have it!
Did anyone else catch the A Head Full of Dreams tour?
Coldplay came out with a new album late last year, they finally released their tour dates in February..? not sure... and we got tickets with my friend Jessica to see them. We have to drive 3 hours, but that's really not so bad. We are both (and KC not far behind) from the beginning Coldplay fans, and so we are SO excited to go. We are checking it off her bucket list!
When the album came out, I liked the first single pretty straight away, but I was a little less keen on this one. A little bit later I really really like it. Go Beyonce! :)
What a fun song, I cannot wait to hear it live!
Do you guys have any bands you've loved forever and then seen in person? Any fun plans this weekend? Other Posts This Week: Snapshots of San Francisco // Japantown and the Beats. - because, Vacation! :P Happy Friday! Alexandra
A normal November for me is filled with lots of cold air and gray skies while Coldplay's 'Rush of Blood to the Head' is playing in the background. Dreaming of holiday and family time in the coming weeks. Taking more than my fair share of cranberries at every holiday gathering. It's a magical time of year.
This November has been a little different. Our temperatures have been in flux between too warm for a coat and hovering right at freezing, I've had very little Coldplay playing. I'm making lists for the upcoming holidays because we've been so busy I feel like I'm already behind. I am now in the middle of my second cold for the month. I'll tell you, being a substitute teacher (especially at a preschool) is probably not the best job for someone so prone to getting sick as me.
But, in this time of being sick and busy, I'm finding myself focusing a lot on gratitude. I'm so grateful to have a job that I have to call in sick to. I'm grateful to have a kitten that eventually stops attacking things in the room and cuddles with me while I rest. Grateful that daytime TV consists of hours of Boy Meets World and cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies. Grateful for instant hot chocolate, real fruit pop sickles, chicken soup and cough drops, which are currently my 4 food groups. Grateful for my wonderful husband who keeps me stocked with my aforementioned foodstuffs, nyquil, humidifier, cuddles, slippers, real food, love and countless other things I need and want. :)
I am also grateful for what it feels like to be well again and knowing that it should be coming soon. Grateful for the upcoming holidays and the pies I get to make to share with my loved ones. Grateful for family traditions both old and new. And those cranberries...
So apologies for the lack of posts, but at least some semi-seasonal ones will hopefully be on their way before the month is out.
Minneapolis/St. Paul had everything we were looking for and more. A cooler climate, great food, beautiful scenery, amazing culture, unique shopping locations... and Coldplay. ...and it did not disappoint...
Day/Night 1:
In a sort of panicked-scramble-y rush we drove from Kansas to St. Paul as quickly as possible to make it the concert. As we entered the venue we were given some neon wristbands that we were told were "part of the show". Had it been any other show.. I may not have worn mine but I'm glad I did!
We missed the first opening act, but we didn't really mind. We managed to hear all of Marina and the Diamonds... I wasn't impressed. And then Coldplay came on! Hooray! And our neon wristbands began to light up like Christmas lights! It was so breathtakingly cool!
The show was amazing! The music was fantastic and the visual effects were so exciting. They had everything from lasers, video screens and light up wrist bands to clouds of confetti and falling beach balls. It was so incredible.
They played tons of stuff from the Mylo Xyloto album as well as some old favorites and some random goodies. But really, they are ALL goodies. I cried about 3 times during some crowd sing alongs. It was so overwhelming because this music has been a part of my life for such a long time. It was all around the most incredible show EVER! I am so happy that we were able to pull off some last minute decent seats! Worth. Every. Penny. Day/Night 2: When we bought the concert tickets we found out that the FREE Minnesota Irish Festival was also the same weekend. So we headed to Harriet Island Park for the festivities. We shopped and listened to music. The park was on a river with a beautiful view of the city!
One of the highlights here was the incredible food! (catered by the local Claddagh Cafe)Kyle got "Shrimp and Chips".
And I got "Bangers and Mash" It was all delicious!
After the fair we went back to the hotel and had a swim in the pool to cool down and relax a little! It was a really nice saltwater pool and I really enjoyed it.
The Electric Fetus (strange name, great store), Eclectic place to buy vinyl, cds, gifts, clothing, jewelry. Thank you to Kurt Cooper for the recommendation! We will be back!
They also had a candy counter.. so we got some Sugar Babies and Sugar Daddy(s). As during a Gilmore reference Kyle admitted to never having them before! That is all we bought, but we would absolutely recommend this store to music junkies and unique gift givers alike!
Then we visited a small eco-friendly boutique near Calhoun Lake that I had read about in Whole Living called Moss Envy. It was very cool! I got a few reusable produce bags for grocery shopping! I had been struggling to find those in person.
Then we headed to the Midtown Global Market as suggested by Greta Simons! It was probably my favorite place that we visited!
We parked in the garage across the street and walked in not knowing what to expect... I was blown away! It was like an international food court that also sold many international goods, flowers, coffee, candy, gifts, natural groceries, cooking classes and contained some farm-to-table type restaurants as well. It was so vibrant and endlessly entertaining for me!
We were there around dinner time so we decided to try several different things since we had the option! We started with a pot stickers appetizer from Pham's Deli which were very good.
We also got fortune cookies. Here is mine:
Here is his:
Then we went to El Burrito Mercado for a chicken quesadilla. Which is the best quesadilla I've ever had! We were so full and very satisfied with our international experience.
It was still early so we bought a slice of triple chocolate cake at Salty Tart to take back with us for later.
It was literally the best chocolate cake I've ever had! It was very chocolatey, there was also a layer in there that was crunchy like it was made of chocolate wafers of some kind. It was so so so good. I wanted to buy another entire cake to bring back with us, but I knew it would not survive the drive.
All gone. Day 3:
We started out the day with breakfast at Mickey's Diner. It was in an old dining car and very cute. It was also a greasy spoon with no-nonsense waiters. It was pretty fun and the food was good!
I got blueberry pancakes that were super legit and a side of potatoes o'brien which were pretty greasy... but really what did I expect? :)
Kyle got biscuits and gravy which were apparently also very good but I don't have a picture. Then we went back to the Midtown Global Market and shopped. I got a cute Swedish Mug!
Then we hit The General Store of Minnetonka for some souvenirs. It was huge and had so many great things, but it was a little overwhelming! So be prepared for TONS of stuff! Then we drove back to Kansas!
It was a great trip! Much needed, relaxing and filled with really cool places. We would both love to go back and visit again!
What was your favorite vacation? What are your vacation suggestions for me?
