Concert whore, Out and About, Posts Grandma won't approve of

K to the R stories, Out and About

Much like Christmas, Karina the Russian was my date for New Years Eve this year. We went out, we caused a scene, we took pictures! Enjoy!

In reality we are just a bunch of nerds. Sometimes we even catch ourselves on film in all our nerdy-ness. This was the getting ready pre-party at Karina’s pad.

It only took 2 1/2 hours of getting ready, but this was my end result.

Happy New Years! I hope it was great for everyone.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Holidays, Out and About

After spending Friday night partying with rock stars, I woke up mid Saturday morning knowing that I had another very important party to get going to. So I rolled out of bed and managed to get dressed. I sleepily walked into the kitchen to start some coffee only to look out the window to see 6 inches of new snow! I seriously considered just going back to bed, but the consequences of having to face my niece after missing her 3 year old princess birthday party were just too great.

My princess baby sister decided to play along and dressed up in an old bridesmaid dress. Here she is holding the birthday princess, her daughter Brielle.

A swarm of princesses buzzing around the birthday princess opening her presents.

There had to be 8-10 little princesses running around. Even my “daughter” Pasha made it, thanks to her father being an incredible sport. She was a little shy at first, but just like her mother, Karina the Russian, give her a little candy and she warmed right up! She did however feel the need to stay incognito to avoid the paparazzi.

I brought my makeup to the party and put blush, eyeshadow and lipstick on all of the girls. Of course the pink eyeshadow was the most popular color chosen. I’m slowly creating little monsters everywhere I go. Already both Brielle and Pasha ask me for lipstick every time they see me because they know a) I always have it on me and b) I am more than happy to put it on them.

So that is pretty much most of my weekend. Partying with rock stars one night and going to princess parties the next. Never a dull moment it seems. At least that is how it can seem if you only ever hear about the exciting parts of my life.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Loved One(s), Out and About

Friday night Karina the Russian, my sis Staci and I went to the X96 Nightmare Before X-mas concert featuring Anberlin and Hoobastank.

Somewhere around 6 years ago, Karin the Russian had met the guitarist for Hoobastank while working for a hotel. She has often talked about him and how much she wished that she had returned his call way back when. So I suggested to her to reach out and contact him (through the lovely myspace world) to see if he remembered her, which of course he did – vividly! Long story short, we ended up hanging out with the band before they went on stage, we stood on the side of the stage while they played their set and partyed with them at the unofficial after party. Needless to say, Karin is “in love”… again. Unfortunately we didn’t bring a camera and didn’t think to take many camera phone pictures so this is our only “good” picture.

The band(s), their technical people and their friends were all amazingly cool. It’s safe to say we had a VERY good time. I’d like to say that I have gotten to the point where I am not star struck by rockstars, but sometimes I still am. For example, I couldn’t get up the nerve to go over and say “hi” to the lead singer of Anberlin. I LOVE those guys! In fact, 3 years ago I actually got to meet them, but for some reason I lost my nerve completely. He was sitting maybe 15 feet away from me too! Guess it didn’t help that I was a little tipsy and they are a “Christian Rock” band so I am not sure if they even drink or not. Regardless, I just kept picturing making an ass out of my self by saying something stupid like “Hi! Remember me? We met 3 years ago. I LOVE YOU! I have all of your albums – memorized! Let’s get married and have lots of rockstar babies!” then security would inevitably be called and they would have to pry me off of him and the whole time I would be screaming “I love you! Call me!” while shouting out my phone number.

Regarless of my chicken-shit-ness, we did have a lot of fun.

Rockstars, motocross guys, tour buses, Doritos, VIP section, lots of laughing… you know, our typical Friday night out.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Concert whore, K to the R stories, Out and About

Last night my family and I got in the holiday spirit and went to “The Forgotten Carols” by Michael McLean. Now for those of you who are not familiar with The Fogotten Carols, let me tell you, in Utah, it is a big freaking deal! My mother bought the tickets about 2 months in advance. It is a live performance of the book and the soundtrack which are about a woman who learns the true meaning of Christmas through a series of “forgotten carols”. Very Mormon, very spiritual, a little cultish.

This was my third time seeing the carols. As a young teenage girl, I read the book and fell in love with the story and the carols. In fact, this year is one of the first years I have not listened to the soundtrack as I decorated my tree. It has probably been 8 to 10 years since I last saw the carols being performed, but I remembered it almost perfectly. Honestly I was a little scared to go. I’m far from religious but this show always seems to make me cry and I have had enough crying to last me a while.

I made it through the first 30 minutes; cool and collected. Then the stupid song about Mary letting someone hold her baby (the baby Jesus) so she could rest and it changed this lady’s life because she could never be a mother, but it made her feel like one. Ahh! Tear jerker! My cute little sister sitting to my left, who IS a mother, takes one look at the tears that are running down my cheek, reaches over and holds my hand. She knows. She knows heartache and fear that I suppress. Always cool and collected on the outside but slightly tormented on the inside. At least when it comes to the subject of children. Then my Dad, who is on right, notices my snitch tears and puts his gigantic hand on my leg. Luckily intermission was shortly after that song so I was able to pull myself back together.

At the end of the concert, Mr. McLean who is staring and narrating the show, leads the audience in a giant sing-along complete with linking arms to the person next to you.

“Everybody now! We can be together forever someday! We can be together forever someday! We can be together forever sooommmmeeee DAAAAYYYY!”

*insert giant eye rolling and slight feeling of nausea*

I was definitely in the middle of my biggest nightmare-de ja vu-flashback of my upbringing. But it was, after all, Christmas and my Mother had gone to the trouble of organizing the outing. Anything to bring a little spirituality into her heathen daughters life.

Being in the middle of a Mormon concert has it’s advantages however. Like the people watching. I swear to you I have never seen so many tacky Christmas sweaters in one place! As soon as the show was over I told my sister “quick! Grab out your camera phone and start taking pictures of the Christmas sweaters!”

Unfortunately the only pictures I was able to capture were of my own mothers hideous sweater.

Mom: “Why are you taking pictures of me? You’re not going to put this on your blog are you?”

Me: “Of course I am.”

Mom: “I want you to know that there is a whole womens center at my work who wears sweaters like this. You tell them the 50 year old women are rebelling!”

Me: “OK Mom.”

Mom: “And you’re writing about the concert too?”

Me: “Of course.”

Mom: “…and you will only talk about it with…?”

Me: “Complete respect.”

Mom: “Good girl.”

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Loved One(s), Out and About

Out and About, Story Time

Saturday Karina the Russian and I committed a sin. Well, not like a really bad sin (yes, I just used “like”), it was just the sin of putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving, which to some is completely inexcusable. I however, am pretty sure we will be forgiven after fervent repenting to the bishop and maybe a few hail Marys for good measure.

After putting up the tree and untangling strand upon strand of Christmas lights we decided to celebrate Karina’s newly festive condo by getting dressed up and going out. We ran into an old friend who invited us to a house party. We knew this friend really well so we said what the hell, hopped in his limo and away we went. We ended up at this mansion cabin house on 400 acres of land. The owner had coyotes, reindeer, 5 ponds with some 4,000 fish in them, roosters and a whole bunch of other cool stuff. Anyway, too much details. We get there and we are having a great time but as the night progresses and the number of drinks increase, limo guy gets really tipsy and decided to…um…complement me?

“Summer you look greeeat! I mean jus look at those leeegs! And you have the hottest crotch area. No I mean it Summa. Bee-ute-iful!”

CROTCH AREA??? It was such an incredibly ridiculous thing to say and it caught me so off guard that I couldn’t help but bust up laughing. Karina and I were practically rolling on the floor and the funniest part was I couldn’t even get mad because poor drunk limo friend wasn’t really trying to make a pass at me, this was his honest to god attempt at a compliment! Hmm… come to think of it, maybe it was a pass at me. Nah! I’m much more comfortable thinking of it as just a failed attempt at a compliment.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Out and About, Story Time

My sister Staci decided that for her birthday she wanted to get a group together to go to The Cheesecake Factory. She asked me if I would be willing to go an hour early to get our names on the list, because I am a good sister and it was her birthday I agreed, but dragged Karina the Russian with me.
When we got there they told us it would be a 2 HOUR WAIT!!! Now, I’m not going to say their food is not good – it is. But come on! No food is worth waiting 2 hours just to be seated. Unfortunately, this was not my call to make. At least the restaurant is located right in front of the mall (strategic placement much?) so Karina and I just wandered around the mall. I was on a mission to find a new winter hat. I found one that I am pretty much in love with and am going back to buy after my next paycheck.

The restaurant wait ended up only being 1 hr and 45 minutes. ONLY! Regardless, we had a lot of fun and Staci loved the singing card that Karina and I gave her. “Special, special, yes you are!” I’m pretty sure it was her favorite present of the night. Our server was excellent and didn’t even hit on any of us, so that was a bonus too.

Happy Birtday (one day late) Little Sister! I love you more than you will ever know!

Blogfully yours,
Summer

Loved One(s), Out and About

Last night Karina the Russian and I decided to hit the town. We got all dolled up together and she offered to drive, which was perfect because my car is not registered due to my bad habit of buying clothes & groceries instead of a new windshield which it needs to pass inspection. So I decided I didn’t need to bring ALL of my keys, just my house key. Since I was wearing jeans I just stuck the lone key in my pocket and off we went.

As anyone who reads this blog is probably aware, good times always happen when the two of us are together. We get to the club, walk in front of the VIP line, don’t pay a cover, say “hi” to all the peps (it’s Salt Lake, you are bound to run into people you know wherever you go) and start having a good time.

Somehow, during the “have a good time” part of the night, my key managed to travel somewhere outside of my pocket (shocker!). I ended up spending the night at Karina’s and it wasn’t until we were sitting at breakfast that it dawned on me to check if I still had my key, which of course I didn’t. I called my sis to see if she still had my spare key, and she didn’t. I start freaking out until Karina asked if I left my porch door unlocked. I say “yes, but it is on the second story and there are bushes all around it.”

Did that stop my beautiful, resourceful, cat-like, Russian friend? Did it detour her from thinking she could do it, even for a minute?

Of course not.

Lessons learned today would include the following:
1. Make sure someone reliable always has a spare key to my place.
2. When going out find a more reliable place to put house key (like a purse perhaps?).
3. Lock balcony doors from here on out at all times.
4. I would be completely lost without Karina, never loose her as a best friend.

Blogfully yours,
Summer

K to the R stories, Out and About