Dave Matthews Band at Oak Mountain - Part One

I did not originally intend for my recap of last Saturday's Dave Matthews Band show to be two posts; but, you know me - long winded - and the post was getting way too long. So, I've split it in to two posts and today bring you part one.

Saturday afternoon, Justin and I headed south to Birmingham for the Dave Matthews concert at Oak Mountain Amphitheater. I found out some time back in January that Dave (yes, we are on a first name basis) was coming to Birmingham, and immediately made a note for myself to buy tickets the day they went on sale. I asked Justin if he would like to go and if so, then I would buy his ticket for an early birthday present (his birthday is May 3). He said yes, that he would like to go and so the plan was set in motion. 

The tickets went on sale back in February and I logged on as soon as they went on sale and was able to purchase a couple - with the help of Jackie who I was on the phone with and was logging on as well. Whichever one of us got through first would do the actual purchasing. As it turns out I was able to get through and buy the tickets without any problem. 

Justin and I left my house around 2:00 Saturday afternoon and arrived in Birmingham about 3:45 or so. Our first stop was The Fish Market, my favorite place to eat in Birmingham. There was no wait and we were able to get in, get a table, order and eat in less than an hour. Needless to say we had a lot more time on our hands than I anticipate we would; but, I'm a sticker for having plenty of time and arriving early so it was no problem. 

I got my usual - the combo with fish and shrimp - and Justin wanted to order a plate with fish fillets but somehow ended up with a plate that had not only fish, but also shrimp and oysters. We both cleared out plates and left with full bellies. Justin pointed out that it had been exactly four months since we had last eaten there (December 6 when coming back from the State Championship football game), which I found to be quite interesting. After dinner, we went over to the Dunkin Doughnuts across the parking lot and got six doughnuts for the ride home. I figured we might be hungry by the time midnight rolled around. 

We left downtown and made our way to Oak Mountain. I had bought an advance parking pass with the tickets and our spot was very close to the entrance which was nice. There were lots of people out tailgating and boozing it up. Justin and I just sat in the car and observed all the shenanigans going on around us. Then we started reminiscing about Dave concerts from years past and ended up calling our mother to ask her about one such show. It was (I think) my sophomore year of college and mother brought Justin to Oak Mountain to meet me and some friends. I don't even remotely remember the plan to get him back to Huntsville. Maybe he was going to stay the weekend in Tuscaloosa with me. At any rate, I remember there being beer in the trunk of the car and that it was confiscated by mother. I wasn't old enough to legally drink at the time. Justin didn't remember any beer; so, we called mother to see what she remembered. She also didn't remember beer being confiscated. She remembered leaving the beer with all of us. Obviously none of us can remember exactly what happened that night long ago. Suffice it to say Justin and I probably killed those particular brain cells and mother can blame her lack of memory on MS. 

We made the decision to go in to the venue around 6:30ish. We honestly were not sure if there was going to be an opening band or not because the ticket didn't indicate one way or the other. So, we made our way inside and found our seats which were in the middle section of what was once the lawn at Oak Mountain. I don't know when they put in seats there, but they did and they are actually quite nice and we had a great view. The seats are at a steep incline and we could see the stage very well. At this point of the evening we reminisced about all the shows we had seen there on the lawn when it was a lawn, including the Widespread Panic show in the summer of 1997 that we were both out but didn't know the other was there until this past weekend. Yeah, I know. 

There was a trio of women that came in and sat to the left of Justin (I was on his right) which included a mother and her two daughters (one pregnant). The concert was the mother's early birthday present as well and they were from Mobile. They were nice people and were calm and not rowdy which was a plus. As it turns out there was in fact an opening band called Vintage Trouble and they were not very good. There sound was nothing like I expected and neither Justin nor I enjoyed their performance. I left towards the end of their set to get a Diet Coke. I was thirsty and decided to go ahead ans shell out the ridiculous amount of $5.50 for a 20 ounce soda. I first made a pit stop and then went to the main concession stand where the people working there were not letting people have the caps to their sodas because supposedly people in the stand might throw them down towards the stage or at other people. Listen, I'm not about to pay $5.50 for a soda and 1) not get the three Coke points associated with it; 2) leave it open so someone could slip a roofie (I doubt that's how you spell it) in it; 3) leave it open so someone can kick it over and get the place where I'm standing sticky with Diet Coke or 4) not have a top so that I can safely transport said soda from Point A to Point B. So, I found a beer cart that was also selling soda and bought one from there - cap and all. My guess is that one of those Pelham football boosters is a collector of Coke Points and was hoarding all the caps for his or her self. 

Come back tomorrow for part two of this very enthralling story.

T-Ball on a Saturday

It was a beautiful weekend here in Alabama which was perfect for my very busy Saturday. I got up early Saturday morning and started on some laundry and cleaning and then headed out to the ball fields at Central School to watch Sydney play in her first t-ball game of the season. 

She is playing on a team called the Grasshoppers and their uniforms are grey pants with orange shirts and a grasshopper on the front. The little players have their name and numbers on the back of their jerseys. The team is composed of both boys and girls. I'm not sure of the age range on the team, but I would venture to guess four and five year olds. There are a couple of kids on her team that are super tiny and they all look adorable in their uniforms. 

The game started at 8:30 a.m. (first game of the day) which is perfect in my opinion - it's not too warm out and you can get the game out of the way and then get on with your day. I got to the ball park about 8:20 and found the field and my aunt, her boyfriend and my cousin. They all had Grasshopper shirts on as did a lot of the other parents and grandparents. I guess this is the thing to do these days because that certainly wasn't the case when Justin and I played. The Grasshoppers were playing the Lemonaders. Some of the names of these t-ball teams are quite funny, but also very fitting for preschoolers. 

Sydney was playing catcher and her team took the field first. Apparently in t-ball the catcher stands in a circle over to the side and behind home plate and then can move when the ball is in play or when home needs to be covered. Justin and I never played t-ball so I don't know if this is a newer rule or has always been the case. Sydney also wore a helmet while standing in her circle which is a good idea - even major league catchers wear a helmet. As she took the field she saw me in the stands and yelled out and waved, it was cute. 

The Lemonaders scored one run in the first inning and then it was time for the Grasshoppers to bat. The Grasshoppers scored five runs (there is a five-run rule) and then it was back to the field. Apparently Sydney's coach told her not to move out of the circle (we found out later) because when the ball was in play or she should have covered home, she didn't move a muscle. My aunt and I were yelling at her to move and get the ball but she wouldn't move a muscle and then got embarrassed because we were yelling at her and hung her head down. This brought me back to a conversation I had with my friend Ryan when I was in college. He said, "Please promise me you won't be one of those crazy moms that yell at their kids all the time during games." Well, I don't have any kids, but something tells me if I did I would be breaking that promise. I have a tendency to get a little crazy at times. I even wanted to yell at the kids I didn't know to hustle on down the first base line; some of those kids were just taking their sweet time. 

In the end, the Grasshoppers won about 15-11 or something along those lines and they got seven outs during the game which I think is pretty impressive for a group of kids that young. They all looked like they were having fun and that's what's most important. I loved it when the kids would see a parent or grandparent in the stands and wave at them. Sydney had a great time and looked adorable in her uniform. I'm looking forward to seeing her play again before the season is out. It's sure to provide an hour of good clean fun! 

Book Review: Bread and Wine

I was recently provided an advance copy of Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist to review for Handlebar Publishing and I am absolutely delighted to share my thoughts on the book with you here today. 

When I was first contacted about reviewing the book, the thing that most jumped out at me was recipes and so I immediately said yes. Then the book arrived and I must admit I was a little disappointed. I apparently didn't read in depth when contacted about reviewing the book and I thought I would be reviewing an actual cookbook. Instead, what arrived on my doorstep was a book that happened to have some recipes scattered inside and I was a little unsure and put off starting it until last week when I realized my deadline was fast approaching and I'd better get to reading. Imagine my surprise when I read the introduction and was immediately drawn in - I wanted to keep on reading and keep on reading some more.

The book is basically laid out like this - Ms. Niequist gives the reader a peek into her life (in no particular order) by telling delightful stories about not only the happy times in her life but also the struggles she endures and after each glimpse into her life, she provides a recipe that coincides with the story. Now, call me crazy, but I think everyone can relate to that. I'm sure that most of you (like me) often relate certain foods to specific times or events in your life and that's exactly what Ms. Niequist does in telling her stories and handing out recipes. 

I have read many books in my day that I have been able to relate to, but this book is more relateable than most - probably because I share a lot of the same loves that Ms. Niequist does. I think one of the statements that immediately made me love the author and the book was when she quoted Lynne Rossetto Kasper who says, "there are two kinds of people in the world: people who wake up thinking about what to have for supper and those who don't. then Ms. Niequist went on to say that she was in the first category of people and so am I - when I wake up in the mornings I almost immediately start thinking about food and what's the next thing I'm going to cook and/or eat, including what's for dinner. Ms. Niequist also loves entertaining, as do I. She often mentions a close group of girlfriends, known as The Cooking Club, who get together periodically; and while I don't have a Cooking Club per se, I do have a close knit group of friends whom I absolutely love spending time with and some of our best memories have been made while sharing a meal. 

Ms. Niequists often emphasizes how special it is to share a meal with those we love. Growing up in a home that was always entertaining (that is having people in the home, although we are also entertaining people), I could not agree more. I have always loved sharing a meal with people and then telling stories around the table afterwards, and that is exactly how this book feels to me, only the story telling comes first and then the eating (or recipe as the case may be) comes next. 

As for the recipes in this book, some are simple, some may be more challenging, some you may have heard of before, and others you may be unfamiliar with; but, they are all worth trying when you have loved ones around your table, or sitting in your den (as in my case). There are recipes for salads, breads, desserts, main courses - all sorts of recipes to whet the appetite whether you are a novice in the kitchen or a culinary genius. 
In addition to all the great stories and recipes, the book also has a great appendix section which contains three sections. The first section is a four-week book club/cooking club discussion which provides questions for discussion as well as a sample menu for each week's meeting. The second section of the appendix contains information about weeknight cooking including a pantry list and the final section of the appendix includes entertaining tips and sample menus from Mrs. Niequist. 

I really enjoyed reading Bread and Wine and I think you will too. It is both entertaining, touching and well, appetizing. It's a casual read that you can get through quite quickly and even put down and pick back up days later in case you're looking for something that doesn't require a lot of commitment. 

Bread and Wine goes on sale this week - Tuesday, April 9 - and I encourage you to pick up a copy; you won't be disappointed!

For more information on the author, click here. 

Success In The Rain

I'm happy to report that I did in fact get the yard mowed before church on Wednesday evening. It was sprinkling rain when I got home, but I went ahead and gave it a go before the heavens opened up. I got the back yard cut which was really my primary concern as the front was not looking too bad. Normally I would cut the yard with the deck of the mower high and then cut it again with the deck of the mower as low as it would go for the first mow of the season. I didn't have time for all of that with the rain coming in and also considering the fact that I wanted to be somewhat clean for church. So, I just gave it one good sweep with the deck high and I will deal with getting it how I want it sometime next week. Mostly I just didn't want the back yard to turn into an unmanageable jungle. 

After work Thursday I stopped by Target to get some paper towels. I like the Bounty soft towels and Target seems to be the only store that carries the large packs of these. I also ended up getting some new Dove soap - am I the only one that gets suckered in by new soap scents or does that happen to you as well? I also ordered take out from I Love Sushi. I don't do this often because I don't like to spend a lot of money on myself for dinner, but it has been a long time since I had sushi from there and after not really eating for a week I figured I could spare the expense for myself. The sushi was delicious as always and I'm very glad I made the decision to splurge. 

Speaking of food, Justin and I will be eating at one of my favorite spots on Saturday. We are headed to Birmingham for the Dave Matthews concert and have big plans to eat dinner at The Fish Market before the show. I am really looking forward to it. 

That's all I have for today - short, sweet  and really kind of boring. It's been a rather uneventful week for me, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The weekend should be packed with lots of activities and hopefully that will give me a thing or two to write about next week. I'll also have a review for you for a new Zondervan book that is coming out next week. I'm really excited to share this book with you because I have enjoyed it immensely. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

It Was Confirmed On The Way Home

I'm not sure if I have mentioned it or not, but the car I would like the most when I finally break down and replace ole Blue is a Volvo station wagon. Specifically, a black Volvo cross country station wagon. I love them and you can carry a lot of things in a station wagon - children, dogs, groceries, hockey equipment, loads of toilet paper for rolling yards, you get the picture. Well, for months now I've had my eye on this very car which has been parked in the park and sell lot of South Parkway. I pass this station wagon every day and dream of one day being it's owner/driver. 

I have deliberately not pulled in to the park and sell lot to look at the price of the car for fear that I would immediately run down to the bank and take out a loan and since I'm currently saving all available funds for vacation, I don't want anything to hinder that progress. Furthermore, the word on the street is that I am next in line for promotion at work once the opportunity becomes available and so I kind of want to wait that situation out as well before making any large purchases. My plan was to wait until I got back from vacation and then go look at the Volvo and check out the price. 

Well, folks, I'm here to tell you that on the way to work on Tuesday morning (I honestly didn't even glance that way on Monday) I discovered that my dream car has been removed form the park and sell lot. I thought it might be an illusion, but confirmed it on the way home. The Volvo is MIA. I don't know if someone bought it or if it was moved to another lot or if the owner just gave up on selling it, but apparently it was not meant to be my car. It's sad but true and so the quest is now on to find another one just like it at some point, maybe even later this year. 

In other news, yard mowing season is staring me directly in the face and I'm both dreading it and delighted about it all at the same time. I hate the thought of mowing the grass in 100 degree weather; but really, mowing is one of the few things in this life that provides me with some instant gratification. Seriously, it's not often you can look upon your work with sweat pouring down your face while drinking an ice cold Gatorade and think, "yes, that looks awesome!" but I'm here to tell you that with yard mowing, that's exactly how it is. The satisfaction I get from a freshly mowed yard is like no other - it's just getting motivated to do it that's the big problem. 

The past few years I have waited way too long to start the yard mowing. This year, the grass is high but not terribly so and I think it's still at a somewhat manageable level. I had big plans of mowing the lawn on Tuesday afternoon and called my aunt's boyfriend to see if he could bring my mower over for me. As you may recall my shed blew away in February and Chris has been kind enough to store all of my belongings at his workshop. So, he brought it over and when I got home, I got changed and was all geared up and ready for the first mowing of the season - and then the lawn mower wouldn't start. I summoned Jeff; well, knocked on his door and asked him to take a look. He had no luck either and so the grass remained unkempt for another day. 

Today (Wednesday) my dad and his friend Buddy stopped by the house to see about building a bathroom cabinet and also a new shed and they were able to get the lawn mower working. Apparently after the shed blew away, the mower ended up with some water in it which was causing it to be finicky about starting. With any luck, it will start up again when I make it home from work and I'll be able to give the yard a good trimming before time for church, otherwise the theme song for my backyard may soon be "Welcome to the Jungle."

Easter Sunday...I Guess You Can Call It That

Last I left you, I was regaling tales of so-called birthday celebrations, which leads us to Easter Sunday in a roundabout sort of way. Weeks upon weeks ago I planned an Easter Sunday dinner for my family (parents', grandparents', aunt, cousin, brother, you get the picture). The dinner was also supposed to double as a birthday celebration for my parents and food assignments were handed out. I have always loved Easter dinner, my fondest memories being of Easter Sundays spent at my aunt Linda and uncle Cecil's, and so I was really looking forward to a good dinner (or lunch if you prefer) with the family. 


After arriving home from the birthday celebration on Saturday I did not feel like cooking in the least. I still had rolls to make and a squash casserole. After sleeping most of the evening away, I did manage to make the dough for the rolls so it would be ready for roll making on Sunday morning. I got up early on Sunday and got to work on the squash casserole. Sadly, I also spent a lot of the morning running to the bathroom (please note I thoroughly washed my hands after each trip). I managed to finish up the squash casserole and make the rolls so they could rise again and then called my parents to let them know I would not be joining in the Easter festivities. I would be dropping off the food and I sure hoped they would enjoy it. I had also planned on making a salad for the dinner, but it did not get made and instead the coleslaw from the night before was served. 


I spent the rest of the morning between the couch, the bathroom and putting food that I would not eat in the oven. However, the morning did not go to wasted as I discovered the most delightful show to pass the time. Time for a side story - A friend of mine had told me about a show entitled "Call the Midwife" that comes on PBS. She said it was grand and I happened to notice that the first episode of season two was coming on Sunday night. So, I logged on to the World Wide Web and discovered that the entire first season was available on the PBS website. There are six episodes in season one and by the time Sunday was over, I had watched all six episodes of season one, the Christmas special (I had to buy it from Amazon for $1.99 - totally worth it) and the first episode of season two that came on that evening. Yes, folks, eight and a half hours of the same show in one day - it was that good! 


Back to the story at hand - Around 11:00 a.m. I took all the food (rolls, squash casserole and deviled eggs) over to my parents' house as well as the Easter bucket I had put together for Sydney. I left everything in the kitchen with a note saying, "Happy Easter! Enjoy the food! Eggs and Coleslaw are in the fridge!" Best I can tell everyone enjoyed the food. I have since found out from one person that unexpected visitors were in attendance and then from my dad that there wasn't enough food - hey, that's what happens when you unexpectedly invite people over for dinner. Just a thought. Hopefully, though everyone got a little tasting of all that was offered and didn't leave hungry. 

After dropping off the food, I came back home and continued my "Call the Midwife" marathon and also looked at the Easter photos everyone posted on Instagram. All my friends and their children looked very springy and gorgeous despite the dreary weather outside - it rained all day. I did finally manage to bathe (always a good thing) and eventually enjoyed a delicious meal of Ramen noodles (please don't be envious). 

Hopefully your Easter was much more delightful than mine and I certainly hope the Easter bunny didn't forget you! 

Birthday Celebrations

I briefly mentioned last week that my mom's birthday was on Tuesday (March 26) and we were unable to celebrate because I was struck down with some sort of stomach bug. So, on Friday, I met her and my dad at Olive Garden to celebrate her birthday. As luck would have it, I did not feel well on Friday. After feeling pretty darn good on Thursday, my stomach decided to get all queasy again on Friday; but, I met them for dinner anyway. I couldn't resist the Olive Garden salad and I ordered Fettuccine Alfredo hoping it wouldn't be too bad on my ailing belly. I spent the rest of the evening in regret and misery. Despite my feeling bad, we still had an enjoyable dinner together and hopefully mother enjoyed it since it was, after all, for her birthday. 


Saturday morning I went to the grocery store about 7:00 a.m. before all the big crowds hit to do the Easter shopping and got what I needed for my dad's birthday dinner that night and Easter lunch the next day. I was back home by 8:30 and not feeling well in the least. I managed to get some cleaning done and made some coleslaw to go with the evening's dinner as well as potatoes and deviled eggs for Sunday. Around mid-day I finally bathed and then just laid in my bed wishing for a stomach made of cast iron. My cousin sent a text and said Sydney wanted to stay home because she wasn't feeling well as she had a sinus infection and I was supremely grateful for her decision. I was on the verge of texting to say that she probably shouldn't come when I received Brittany's text so that worked out well. 

I soon after went over to my parents' house to get the burgers patted out for my dad's birthday dinner - his birthday was on Saturday. Mother had invited our friends Naaman and Cheryl over for dinner and told them to show up around 4:00 or 5:00. I got there about 4:00 to find my mother and dad both snoozing away the afternoon. I woke up my dad to start the grill since Justin was MIA and then started patting out the hamburgers. Naaman and Cheryl showed up about 10-15 minutes later. Justin arrived another 30 minutes or so after that and finished the grilling of the burgers. I don't know if my lack of food from the previous few days had anything to do with it or not, but those burgers were so delicious. I ate one and a half and then immediately had to run to the toilet. Just being honest here people. Clearly, the ole stomach was not ready for burgers.

We celebrated with some birthday cake after the burgers and then I cleaned up the kitchen in a round about sort of way before heading home due to not feeling well. I spent the rest of the evening snoozing on the couch, but did manage to make a couple of batches of dough for rolls before going to bed. Rolls were going to be quite an essential part of the Easter dinner the next day. 

So, it was a less than stellar celebration for my parents' birthdays thanks to me and my weak belly, but hopefully they both had an enjoyable day anyway. My dad got a new pair of jeans (which he picked out and told me how much I owed him) and my mom got a new red skirt which she has already worn and gotten compliments on. Hopefully next year's celebration will be a much more festive occasion.