The Summer of Concerts.

This summer may have only just started but it has been off to a great start. For the past three weeks I have had the pleasure of going to a concert (or two) each week. All of these concerts were ones that I was extremely giddy about upon finding that they were even playing near me. I'm also lucky to have a boyfriend who is down to go to all of these concerts with me (even though he doesn't share my extreme excitement about them!) Can I also add that every single one of these shows was sold out?! Heck yeah.

The line-up goes like this:

1. June 10th: The Postal Service 

2. June 17th: Lord Huron

3. June 18th: Lord Huron (Round 2)

4. June 24th: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

This is probably the last time that The Postal Service will tour together and it's been a middle school dream of mine to see them live. I will always be blown away by Ben Gibbard and his ability to put on an amazing show, no matter who he is performing with.

I wouldn't have heard about Lord Huron without my sister suggesting them to me on Spotify, but they have grown to be my absolute favorite band as of lately. You also may be asking yourself why I saw them two days in a row. Good question! Let's just leave it to the fact that I am an extremely dedicated fan. The show was also in Grand Rapids, so my sister and I were lucky enough to feast upon some Yesterdog after the show.

No offense to the show in Grand Rapids, but the show that LH put on in Lansing blew me away (and was way better) and just solidified the fact that this band is truly amazing. It also helped that I was right in front of the stage and tall people weren't ruining the experience for my short self. And I got to meet Ben, the lead singer. I mean, come on. If that smile on my face doesn't convince you that this show kind of changed my life, then I don't know what to tell you!

                                             

                                               

 Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes played a sold out show that is basically right down the street from my house. It is kind of amazing living so close to a concert venue. They make you feel so happy during the whole concert, despite being hot and sweaty, getting beer spilled on you, and having to be obnoxiously close to everyone around you. After the show, Alex even played a mini-concert in the alley. Can you say AMAZING! This band can do whatever they want and get away with it, I swear.

Now I'm on a concert hiatus, at least for a couple weeks until my next one in July. There is truly nothing better than a concert, full of live music from a few of your favorite bands during the summer time.

Currently...

Thinking about: moving into my new apartment and decorating plans. I am so anxious for these next 7 days to fly by so that I can move into my own place. I'm loving the idea of having plants in my apartment so I've been finding a lot of lovely photos on Pinterest to inspire me...

(Sources: Picture 1 Picture 2 Picture 3 Picture 4)

Listening to: The Alabama Shakes album called Boys & Girls. I just recently heard their song 'Hold On' on a local radio station here in Kalamazoo, and I have been listening to that song repeatedly. It puts me in a good mood!

Eating: I've gone out to lunch at a local restaurant called Just Good Food the past couple days. Their sandwiches are to die for and I have been loving their marinated strawberries. I also feel like I've been eating a lot of food from my job lately, but I really do not mind all of the free pizza and delicious garlic bread.

Anticipating: The move into my new apartment (obviously...) and starting my student teaching. I just received an email from my mentor teacher about a training we'll be having next Thursday and information about our first day back as teachers. Now that I have wrapped up all of my undergraduate courses, I'm just so excited to get started on my student teaching!

Thankful for: my sister and her hubby letting me and Roxie stay at their house while I'm without my own place until the 22nd. It's a full house over here but I'm thankful for the good family that I have.

Watching: I just recently started watching Bob's Burgers on Netflix and that show is hilarious. I have also been re-watching Parks & Rec since my sister just started watching it and is now hooked on the show! 

Dreaming about: I want to get into better shape. My sister Ash and I have started running this summer using this awesome app called 5k Runner. It takes you through an 8-week training period and we're on the 7th week now. I never thought that I would be able to run for 15 minutes straight, but it's happening and I'm slowly beginning to love running and want to start training for a more serious 5k (because the color run was not so serious but I LOVED it and had so much fun and was able to run for some of it). With my busy schedule for the upcoming school year, I'm not sure when I'll find time to exercise but this has been on my list of things to-do for quite some time, and I think it's time I start getting serious about it. 

What are you guys currently watching, dreaming about, thinking of, eating, anticipating? Have a great rest of your week!

** Thank you to Danielle and Jen for the inspiration for this post! Check out their blogs :)

Weekend Refresh

This weekend goes back to Thursday, which really wasn't a part of my weekend, but I do remember promising SUP pictures to my readers. 

Group photo before we started. 

Hey, there's me! 

Paddleboarding in action 

Jon and I being SUP loners

All of these photos are courtesy of the wonderful Cari Draft who put on this event. This was so much fun that I found it hard to give up my board when it was time to head back. I did struggle at standing up at first because it was so wobbly. I also did manage to fall off of my board once due to a boat creating some big waves that I just couldn't handle! At least the water was warm, but the seaweed wasn't too fun.

It was nice to do something new and fun with Jon and we also got to enjoy some goodies in Grand Haven.

Cheap and tasty corn dogs!

So many delicious corn dogs.  

We were pretty excited!

I did manage to fit in some other fun festivities in my weekend. No weekend would be complete without a trip to the local farmer's market. 

Awesome produce and even better Amish cookies.

And sister time.

An unsuccessful trip to the mall ended in a salty pretzel date with my sister.

Now to begin my last week of Summer I classes and to spend my Sunday being productive by finishing homework, cleaning, going for a run, and watching my latest guilty pleasure: Pretty Little Liars. 

Hope you all had a nice weekend :)