The Great North Left

Everyone has a life bucket list.

For some, it may be walking the Great Wall of China. For others, it may be riding a Gondola in Italy and getting serenaded by a Venetian man with a straw hat. Or maybe it's something like running a marathon or going scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef.

For me, one of my life bucket list items was to see Dave Matthews Band live at The Gorge.

God's Amphitheater. It's a religious experience, y'all.

When I found out back in February that I had scored tickets to the show, I decided to base a Seattle vacation out of it as well. I'd never been to the state of Washington, and the idea of spending time in the Pacific Northwest during a hot Florida summer sounded better than a post-race ice cold IPA. (Well, actually, maybe those two things are about even.)

For the cherry on top of the trip, I was accepted onto the Oiselle Volée running team, and oh hey guess what?! Their headquarters are in Seattle. Two birds with one stone. 

Hmmmm maybe that reference doesn't really work here. Sorry Oiselle. You know I love birds.

 We rolled Eastward through the mountains of Washington on our way to the Gorge and I was fascinated by how different Eastern Washington was from the Western part. It was brown and dry - very desert canyon-ish. But absolutely beautiful nonetheless.

 

I have seen some amazing DMB shows in my time as a fan (God bless the moment when I first popped in that Remember Two Things cassette tape in 1993). I tried to count how many times since my first show in 1996 that I've seen him live, and it's gotta somewhere around 20.

Sure, I don't remember every single song from every single show, but I can say without a doubt that this show as a whole was the best I've ever seen him live. And probably overall the best live performance of any band I've ever been to.
Ever. 

Hooray for iPhone panorama! 

 

  

Playlist


After cleansing my soul in Eastern Washington, we headed back to Seattle for some rest and relaxation.

Which you know, of course, included me running a half marathon at the last minute. 

  Because why not?

Seattle also just so happened to be hosting a music festival the weekend we were there. 

Y'all know I was all over that like flies in a freshly manured farm field.

Bumbershoot is their music and arts festival they've held every year for the last 42 years. Great vibes, good bands, and a fantastic way to spend a beautiful Labor Day in Seattle City Center. 

                                                                            One of my faves - The Lone Bellow

We also went to the Pike Place Market and got a coffee at the original Starbucks, took a ferry ride over to Bainbridge Island, went to the top of the Space Needle, and (shocker) drank some local brews.

A major highlight of the trip was, of course, my visit to "The Nest" - AKA Oiselle Headquarters.

I was immediately welcomed with open arms (wings?) and felt right at home with these ladies.Their office is open and lively and has such a vibrant positive aura. I am very blessed to fly with this flock! 

@drlesko, @kemetcalf, me, and @JackElizabethK sporting our "Got Birds?" tanks

 This was about a week and a half before the Oiselle debut at New York Fashion Week. Sarah and Jackie totally rocked the runway along with Sarah Mac, Lauren Fleshman and Fast Kate.

Real runners on a runway...what a fantastic concept!

Check out the amazing runway photos here, and read about it here! (and here and here)

Between Oregon in June and Seattle in September, I think it's safe to say I have a love affair with the Pacific Northwest. 

Playing Dress-Up

Anything that includes costumes has always thrown my brain into overdrive on how I can come up with something festive. Last year for Halloween I began to create my costume 6 months prior and through some blood, sweat, and a few tears, finally Deadmau5 came to life.

This year for Halloween I waited until the last minute, but luckily with the help of two dear friends and some sparkly fabric we created another original masterpiece. 

American Gladiators 2012

 Buck, Tini, Dixie and Taj -- making their debut

It was a blast making these costumes.

The boys wore wrestling singlets, and Christine and I invested in some shiny shorts. I made the belts with some shiny fabric. We found Prateek's wrestling helmet and matching gloves at goodwill, along with the wigs and shoes. I pinned on an American Gladiator logo to the front.

 The gladiator sticks were the most fun to make. We got old curtain rods and taped a pillow to each end, wrapped it in a white towel, and held it all together with colored duct tape. 

ready for action

Usually after Halloween I get sad, because dressing up is over for a while.

But not this year!!!

Not long after Halloween we had the Tap N Run 4K.

This is not your everyday race, y'all. 

Everyone dresses up either individually or in teams. At every kilometer, there is a beer chug station (instead of water station). At the end there are costume contests, and yes....more beer.

Instead of the gladiators, we decided to do something a little less politically correct.

Meet our team: Cowboys and Indian.

We were the cowboys, and Prateek was the Indian.

Duh.

 A 4 K is a little over 2 1/2 miles, which we walked. 

I made sure not to wear a timing chip. I don't want a 12 minute mile on record!

P and I on the course 

Don't let the picture fool you. We ran jogged for about 10 yards at the end to get the photo op. Also, Brian was in a different photo so I added him in here :)

Some people didn't understand our costume until we explained it, and then we were a huge hit. We decided we HAD to enter the costume contest for "Most Original Team Concept". 

Out of 20+ teams in that category, we ended up winning.

We are ridiculous.

But it doesn't stop there.

I got the opportunity to dress up a THIRD time! 

EDC was in Orlando again this year. You know how I love letting out my inner rave child with feathers and neon while fist pumping into the night. 

Crop Tops, feathers, and leg fuzzies -- oh my!

This may be my favorite photo ever taken at a festival - front and center at Afrojack, loving the confetti (and life in general).

Unfortunately the end-of-the-year dressing up is over, with the exception of any ugly sweater parties or Santa pub crawls I may attend. 

Come to think of it though, when I was younger, I dressed like a Pilgrim on Thanksgiving.....hmmmm....I already have my Indian......

March Madness

Remember back in October last year when I had every weekend crammed to the top with all sorts of activities, from FlugTag to running a marathon to meandering around New York City to building a giant Mau5 head? 

Yea, that's my March. But this time, with more palm trees.

This weekend kicks off Phillies Spring Training in Clearwater. You know how Prateek is with his Philadelphia sports, and we wouldn't dare miss the Spring Training opening day, decked out in Phillies gear lounging in the outfield grass with a bucket of beverages.

The following week it's off to the Port of Miami, where I'll be walking down the aisle of a cruise ship in a pretty blue bridesmaids dress, helping celebrate a dear friend's wedding! We'll be cruising to Mexico for some fun in the sun aboard the Celebrity Millenium.

The weekend after that it's back to Miami for what I've been looking forward to since last April. The time when my inner rave child comes out to play. The time when nothing in the world matters except the music being made from surrounding turntables.The epitome of the pop culture revolution.

Three words:

Ultra. Music. Festival.

After I recover from Ultra, I'm headed straight for the movie theater to watch Katniss show the Capitol what she's made of.

 Prateek's birthday rolls in after that, and then it's off to Las Vegas a few weeks later to celebrate in style!

Tired yet? 

That doesn't even include my rigorous running/training/get-myself-into-shape routine and busy workdays. 

I will single-handedly keep Starbucks in business this month.

Thank goodness I have my Gold Card so I get free add-ins!