DCX World Tour!!

The soundtrack to much of my high school and college years fell into the genre of country.  And a bit of Eminem.  You know, to keep things real.  But seriously, I loved so many popular country artists during that time of transition and new opportunities.  There were so many that I kept on repeat - Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Lonestar, LeAnn Womack, Rascal Flatts, and the Dixie Chicks.

Needless to say, when I heard the Dixie Chicks were planning to go back on the road I knew I had to be there.  I have never been a big concert fan, but so many of their songs are burned into my memory because they are associated with such meaningful moments in my life.  I'll never forget singing my heart out to Wide Open Spaces as I drove to college for the first time by myself.  And I can't possibly forget the time me and my best gal pals from church decided we should make our own Goodbye, Earl music video at a sleepover one night.  Such precious memories for me.

The concert added another great memory to the list.  It was terrific.  I fell off the Dixie Chicks wagon prior to their final album so I wasn't as familiar with the songs they played from it, but otherwise I absolutely loved it.  I remembered every word to those old songs.  It all just came flooding back to me.  So many feelings and emotions washed over me as I sang from my soul with thousands of other attendees.  It was truly wonderful.

What is your most magical concert experience?

Andrea :)

Mom's Surprise Birthday Party

Surprise parties are THE best!!  The insane amount of planning and organizing (and lying) that goes into it can be daunting, but the end result is SO much fun!! After much debate and discussion, we ultimately decided to attempt a double surprise party weekend for Mom.  Our first surprise involved just our immediate family.  McKinley invited Mom and Dad over for a game night with him and his roommate, JK.  This is a fairly common occurrence so certainly no red flags there.  What Mom didn't know is that Jordan and his crew along with Chris and I would be hiding in the kitchen waiting to jump out and surprise her upon arrival.  Worked like a charm!

Mom was no doubt surprised...especially since she had called me just a few minutes before while I casually pretended to be enjoying a relaxing weekend at our apartment in NY.  I'm good, friends! Put me on the surprise squad ANY day! :)  That Saturday afternoon all the siblings just hung out and entertained the kids.  I worked with Brinley and Landon on being quiet as a mouse when we surprised Grandma and Grandpa.  They did awesome while we waited to spring the surprise!

It was a lot of fun to play games and just hang out that night.  We told Mom we were planning to go to church with her and take her out for a family lunch the next day.  Surprisingly, she didn't ask a ton of questions.  We all thought we were in the clear.  She didn't suspect a thing.

And we were right!!  Church was great.  Mom was extremely happy to have us all there together - a rarity these days!  We got some fun family shots outside the church before the rain began.  At that point, we headed over to Old Hickory for our second surprise.

The hostess group was a little lacking on the subtleties and nearly gave us away, but the New Yorker in me took over and just barged through to the banquet room.  Mom said she thought we might have invited her sister to join us, but she never expected to see a whole room full of family and friends.  Since I was in the group that arrived with her, I didn't get a look at her facial expression.  The pictures say it all though.  Mom was absolutely thrilled to be able to visit with so many wonderful people for the afternoon.  We were all relieved we managed to pull it off - a feat we had doubts about from the beginning!

Have you ever planned a surprise party?  How did it go? 

Andrea :)

For the Outsider in All of Us...

Have you ever felt alone?  Or like you didn't really matter to anyone?  Maybe you just wish your circumstances were different.  Or people took the time to get to know the real you.  Perhaps you've always played it safe, followed the rules.  Life is passing you by while you watch from the sidelines.

Evan Hansen knows how you feel.  He's in the same boat.  And it's miserable.
 

The latest Second Stage Theater production - Dear Evan Hansen - is a musical drama with a touch of humor throughout.  It is creative and modern.  A take on life as an outsider that so badly wants to be normal.  He makes some questionable choices that ultimately get him noticed, but given the situation, it's hard to say he did the wrong thing...at least at first.  The show provides a unique look at the fragility of mankind.  The part we all play in making a difference...or not.  A deep and thoughtful adventure well worth the ride.

We were so happy to be able to enjoy the performance alongside Mia and her hubby on their recent visit to NYC.  A fun night out on the town for sure!

Andrea :)

The 2016 Mac & Cheese Bowl

Mac & Cheese.  Yum!  Honestly, who doesn't love macaroni and cheese?  So tasty!  This weekend, Chris and I were able to taste 30 different types of the delicious stuff.  It may (or may not) have been a tad TOO much, but for a worthy cause - the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York - you can't really say no.

Fortunately, we had the expertise of multiple year Mac & Cheese Bowler (our friend, Shannon) to help us craft a strategy and provide extremely helpful tips!  The #1 tip was to only taste one noodle initially.  If you like the sample, go for it.  If you don't like the sample, trash it.  There is too much good mac and cheese out there to waste stomach space on so-so samples.  Genius!

Ironically, our first stop - Wolff's Biergarten - turned out to be our favorite of the whole day.  They boasted a five cheese concoction topped with crumbled bacon.  It was as good as it sounds...and, subsequently, the only sample I tried a second time.  So good.

Most of the samples blended together after awhile.  Lots of pulled pork and sriracha found themselves in the mix.  The most bizarre of the day was a Big Mac version of mac and cheese - um, no thanks!  It was the only one where I totally recoiled at the taste.  The spicy versions weren't too high on my list either, but some of them weren't so bad.  Valente's Three Little Pigs gave samples that included three cheeses and three meats - surprisingly not terrible...and actually good enough for third-place as it turns out.

The longest line was for Druthers Brewing's fantastic creation - a chicken-and-waffles mac and cheese.  It featured a fried nugget of chicken and seven-cheese blend macaroni soaked in sriracha-maple syrup on a bed of country gravy with a red velvet waffle on the side.  It bested Wolff's by a mere 2% of the ballots cast for first-place at the competition.  Definitely a tasty sample with a fantastic presentation!  Besides judging the actual samples, Bowl attendees were also asked to judge the overall display at each booth. Mazzone Hospitality won the award for best display, but we thought that Elegant Touch (pictured below on bottom left) was most unique.

The second best tip of the day was actually given weeks in advance - arrive early!  We were there when the doors opened.  It really made a difference that first hour.  After that, the crowds became nearly unbearable.  The crowd was estimated at more than 2,500 people for the seventh annual event held inside the gymnasium at Siena College.  Thankfully, we hit most of the booths before the crowd became unmanageable.

What is your favorite type of mac and cheese?

Andrea :)

Our Military Bowl Adventure

Chris has always wanted to watch his alma mater play in a bowl game so when we discovered that Pitt was headed to Annapolis for the Military Bowl we jumped at the chance to make his dream a reality! Unfortunately, Pitt didn't get the memo and managed to play terribly despite scoring on the opening kickoff.  Even though the Panthers weren't able to get their act together, we still had a great experience.

We spent some time checking out the festivities outside the stadium a couple hours before the game.  The alumni tailgate party turned out to be a dud, but we did get some really cool lanyards out of it!  And we found the #ConnorStrong banner to sign as well.  It was really special for the team to include Connor (a Pitt running back diagnosed with cancer earlier this season) as an honorary captain, too!

Once inside the stadium, several unique elements were seen prior to kickoff.  A group of veterans parachuted onto the field with American flags and the game ball.  The National Anthem was sung by Miss America while a flag the size of the entire field was unfurled.  And the teams finally took the field after an awesome fly over.

As I mentioned, Pitt got off to a great start!  They didn't do much else in the first half though.  That put them in quite a hole, but they didn't give up.  Pitt fought hard, but just wasn't able to overcome the deficit in the end.  Even through the chilly weather and occasional drizzle, our group had a blast in the Pitt section of the stadium!

Before we began our drive back to NYC, we grabbed dinner with our friends at the Iron Rooster in Annapolis.  They make their own DELICIOUS pop tarts...and serve breakfast all day!  Definitely recommend checking out this tasty spot if you are ever in town for a Navy game!!

Have you ever been to a bowl game?

Andrea :)

Christmas in Kentucky!

We had the most wonderful few days celebrating Christmas in Kentucky this year.  We were able to catch up with friends, visit with family and other loved ones, and enjoy time with our awesome niece and nephew!!

I started the trip early last week with a fun overnight stay with the Heil's! The next day, Michelle and I met my parents in Bowling Green where we tried out a delicious farm-to-table spot called Home.  It was so great getting to catch up!  And the Kentuckyaki Cheesesteak was super tasty, too!!

I was back in Livermore with mom and dad for a day before Chris joined us.  My biggest Christmas surprise was a cake from The Rolling Pin in Owensboro - my absolute favorite!!  Mom and I spent some time visiting with Jean while Chris drove through torrential rain caused by random December tornado warnings in the area.  He arrived just in time for a little extended family time at Cracker Barrel!  Chris was able to spend some time with his buddy, Aunt Mary Ruth, before we made our way to Lexington the next day!

The kids were already in the cookie making zone when we arrived on Christmas Eve.  We iced the cookies they worked so hard to roll and cut after dinner that night.  It was fun for all even if it did get a little competitive toward the end of the night.

Christmas morning brought lots of joy as the kids finally got to unwrap all those presents under the tree.  It was SO much fun to see their faces light up each time it was their turn to open something.  And there was even more excitement when we started putting everything together for them!  Needless to say, we spent the whole day just relaxing together and playing games.

Our big family Christmas event this year was participating in a breakout game together.  Jen's mom watched the little ones while we ventured out for The Derby Heist.  There were lots of nerves and anxious energy before we entered the room, but once our clock started counting down from 60 minutes, it was all hands on deck.  We worked great together figuring out codes to locks and all sorts of other puzzles!  Despite the mere 30% breakout rate, we escaped with over 15 minutes to spare!  Our room monitor indicated it was the fastest he'd ever seen a group escape!  Hooray!!

Before we hit the road to head back to Nashville for our flight, we were able to meet up with Ashley and Parker for a cookie monster at Cheddar's - yum!  Great to spend some time with them!

As I reflect back on our time in the Bluegrass, it makes me realize how fortunate I am to have such an incredible family and wonderful friends.  No matter the length of time between visits (I was astonished by the fact that I hadn't seen my baby brother in person since last Christmas) or the distance between us in the meantime, everything just seems to fall into place when we are together!

Andrea :)

#collaboreads: A Friend's Favorite

When I saw the prompt for this month's #collaboreads book, I decided to pose the question to my Facebook friends.  I received an overwhelming response...and look forward to reading many of the other suggestions eventually!  I narrowed it down to the book my friend Michelle recommended for two main reasons - it sounded intriguing and another friend also commented that it was a good one!  I ended up having some time to connect with Michelle when I was home for Christmas in Kentucky so we snagged a fun photo with her copy of the book then!

RIVETING.

What part of the book could you NOT get enough of?

The book had two parts with a mix of chapters split between Connie's story set in the 1990's as she works toward her doctoral degree at Harvard and the history and lineage of Deliverance Dane set in Salem during the late 1600's.  The stories were both interesting, but the overwhelming detail made parts of the book difficult to move through quickly.  This book involved far more thinking on my end than I anticipated it would when I read the synopsis.  I really loved the story of Deliverance Dane though.  Connie's story wasn't quite as appealing to me...and sometimes even seemed a bit far fetched.  I wish more of the book had taken place in that 1600's era.

ELEMENTS.

How did you relate to/care for the characters?
What's your thought on the plot line and twists and turns?

I really loved Mercy (Deliverance's daughter).  There were a number of passages that focused on her relationship with her mom and dad that I found to be quite interesting.  I also really liked Sam (Connie's love interest) though I was shocked by how quickly they became an exclusive item!  Liz (Connie's roommate) and Grace (Connie's mom) were both a great additions to the story.  Unfortunately, I wasn't as fond of Connie.  I found it odd that it took her so long to figure out quite obvious things given her background as a top graduate student with keen research skills.  Something just kept seeming off about her.  In regard to plot line and twists, they often seemed clear to me ahead of when they were revealed in the book.  There were a couple of surprising elements toward the end though.

ASSOCIATE.
What other books are like this one? If none, did it remind you of a particular TV or movie with it's themes and characters? Does it serendipitous-ly line-up with things going on in your life or the news right now? 

This book reminded me A LOT of The Crucible by Arthur Miller - which I love!  Many of the characters in Deliverance's story were exactly the same as the characters in Miller's play.  After reading the afterword by Katherine Howe, it seems that was done on purpose to create as much accurate historical context as possible.  Also, Howe revealed her interest in writing the book came as she was a grad student in the Massachusetts area and developed a deeper understanding of her own genealogical ties to the Salem witch trials.  I wish she had made the afterword into a preface.  I think it would have peaked my interest even more had I known she was loosely basing it on her own family history.

DESIGN.
You know you judged this book by the cover. What did you think of it? 
How did it relate to the contents of the novel? And the font and layout of the pages? 

The cover of the book was fantastic!  It fit the story perfectly!!  Connie discovers a key that initially leads her on the search for Deliverance's physick book.  And the house Connie inherits via her long-deceased grandmother is covered in ivy when she begins the task of cleaning it up that fateful summer.  The inside cover is the best part though - it is covered in old script with wording to indicate it actually is Deliverance Dane's highly sought after book.  

STARS.  
How many out of five do you give this book? Would you recommend this book to a friend? 

I would certainly recommend this book to others even though it was a bit tough for me to get started.  About halfway through, the story really picks up making the book hard to put it down at that point.  I'll give it 3.5 stars.  I only wish it had focused mostly on Deliverance Dane's story rather than modern day Connie's.

Andrea :)

Our New York Christmas

Since we are spending the next few days in Kentucky, we celebrated Christmas in New York this past weekend.  We spent time visiting with Chris' family and exchanging a few gifts out on Long Island before a delicious dinner and the trek back to our apartment.

At the last minute this year, I decided we needed a small tree for our apartment.  Our little tree wasn't much, but it sure is cute!  When we exchanged gifts, I was SO excited to find tickets to see Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf in Misery on Broadway as well as a year-long subscription to audible in my package from Chris!!  Definitely two perfect gifts for this girl!!

I got Chris a new board game for our next game night and a ticket package for Red Bulls games this coming season as well as a fun California ornament that highlighted all the exciting places we visited on our anniversary trip this year! 

We had a lot of fun exchanging gifts and spending time with Chris' family, but the most important thing this holiday season is that we are all healthy and ready for the coming year!  I am looking forward to more family fun in Kentucky the next few days - can't wait to see my precious niece and nephew and all the excitement on their little faces when Christmas morning rolls around!

Andrea :)

The Color Purple

Wow!  What an incredible display of talent - absolutely stunning voices! Cynthia Erivo as Celie was breathtaking!  An amazing voice that easily overshadows all others - and that's saying something when Jennifer Hudson is making her broadway debut as Shug Avery!  And Danielle Brooks is putting on a show of her own as Sofia.

An uplifting story about the power of love, faith, and confidence for women finding themselves in even the most trying of circumstances. The story isn't a new one if you've read the book or seen the movie starring Oprah, but I would certainly recommend checking it out if you are in the New York area. A truly wonderful revival of this great story with a soundtrack for the ages!

Have you ever read The Color Purple or seen the movie?

Andrea :)

It's Cookie Swap Time!

The annual cookie swap I attend always has me searching for a fun new cookie recipe!  This year, I found a good one from Martha Stewart's online collection - Coconut Balls.

It only needed five ingredients and seemed like a quick cookie to make from the two basic directions listed.  Basically, I mixed everything up and then rolled it into balls to bake!  The trickiest part was coating the warm cookies in the powdered sugar topping.  What a sticky mess!

In the end, they turned out pretty tasty though!  I even tied for third place cookie at the party in the initial vote!  As always, it was fun to chat with the ladies and try all the goodies before the fellas crashed the event!  The cookie swap party is definitely one of my favorites of the holiday season in NYC.  Thanks to Reba and Amanda for hosting such a fun night!!

Andrea :)

Thankful Thoughts

There is SO much to be thankful for today...and always!!  I love seeing all the posts and facebook statuses to reflect our thankfulness this time of year.  It is a great reminder of all the wonderful aspects of our lives.

I am most thankful for a gracious and loving God.  One who is patient with me on my worst days and who continually guides me even when I don't always want to follow His direction. One who is always there - day and night - waiting and ready for me.  One who I truly don't deserve, but am eternally grateful that I have on my side.

I'm blessed with a wonderful and caring husband that also never gives up on me. Just as he stated in his vows to me a little over a year ago, he is there at 7am (the bad) and 7pm (the good).  He is the best part of my day...and I am so thankful to be his partner in life.

It is difficult not being able to spend this holiday with my family, but technology allows me to feel like I am sorta there.  I can't really fathom who I would be without being shaped by my parents and brothers throughout the years.  These people are my foundation.  I am beyond thankful for each of them and always find myself counting down until the next time we'll be together.  Fortunately, work has me close enough to see some of them later this weekend - thrilled beyond words about that!!

Friends - near and far - make my days brighter on a regular basis.  My closest of pals are mostly scattered all over, but that only makes me extra thankful for the few I have left nearby.  I'm excited for all the upcoming get togethers - book club holiday dinner and the annual cookie swap. And happy to use all my spare time to catch up via phone with others.  As I grow older, I am realizing just how important quality friends are in life.

In a year that saw me crossing my second marathon finish line, I am so thankful for my health.  I know there are areas I need to work on to continue to improve in this category, but I am so glad that I don't have any major concerns.  Health is something that we often take for granted.  You never quite realize how fortunate you are to have good health until a report comes back negative or an examine raises questions for further review.  Thankful God is there to hear our prayers when those times arise!

I could go on and on and on listing so many other things that I am thankful for like all of you, my freedom and responsibility as an American, creative outlets like photography and writing, the ability to read, having fresh water and food to eat each day, and the list goes on endlessly.  Instead of continuing here, I will be heading into our command center at work for the first football game of the day and then spending some time with Christopher's family in Long Island.  I have a Tricia Pie ready for both occasions!  Let the Thanksgiving fun begin....

Andrea :)