Bathrooms, Jack's Mannequin, and Aerosmith

So, if any of you remember our downstairs bathroom, you know how shabby it was. I'm pretty sure it's the only room in our entire house that has not been re-done in some way since we moved in. Aysia came to steal all the previous decorations (that were hers in the first place) to use in her new place, so I got the opportunity to redecorate. And ran with it...

I ended up spending nearly $200 on everything. Which, yeah, that's a lot of money, but I figure I'll take it all with me when I move and can have all this fun stuff for quite a few years. I got the shower curtain first and used that as my inspiration. And the two pieces of art, which I found last, pulled everything together. I'm quite happy with how it turned out.


At last minute a couple weeks ago, I decided I could not miss seeing Jack's Mannequin again. So Nicole Nelsen (with whom I'm going to Europe) and I decided to purchase tickets to see Jack's and The Fray at Usana Ampitheater. It ended up being a really great show. I LOVE Jack's, so it was awesome to finally see them. He puts on a great show, and I'm just so jealous of McMahon's skills on the piano.
I'm fairly certain that Jack's Mannequin plays the music of my soul. That music seriously makes me insanely happy.


And last weekend, guess where I went...
Yeah, that's right. AEROSMITH!! I've been dying to see them in concert for a long time, so I've fulfilled another long-time wish. Yay. Life is good!

These pictures are awful because they came from my cell phone... But whatever. That blurry white blob at the end of the runway in this picture is Steven Tyler!!! He was amazing to watch. Awesome dance skills, throwing around his scarf-wrapped mic all over the place. And his voice sounds amazing still. This man is freakin' 61 years old. And he's still sexy. Yeah, I said that. Also, the day we were there, July 25th, is Slash's birthday (Slash from Guns N Roses). And he made a surprise appearance and played on stage.
You can see him on that middle screen above--with his crazy hair, wearing a hat and sunglasses. Slash, man. I sang happy birthday to him. It was awesome.

Anyway, life is great. I got to talk to Jamilyn last night for over an hour, and she's the one who reminded me I needed to write in my blog. So this one's for you, my friend. I loved talking to you, and I miss you like crazy. And I totally looked up prices for a flight to Chicago or Kalamazoo or Grand Rapids. I'm coming soon, I swear. Love you!

Music I'm (re) discovering:
Nick Drake-anything of his. It's seriously beautiful stuff. It's from the late 60's, early 70's. But it could easily be released now and you'd never know. That stuff is amazing.
Hard to Handle-both the Otis Redding and Black Crowes versions. Such a fun song to rock out to.
100,000 Fireflies by The Magnetic Fields-Listen to this one! You'll love it, I promise. Released nearly 15 years ago, but it sounds so much like the great indie stuff that's come out recently.
Sh-Boom (Life Could Be a Dream) by The Crew-Cuts
The Man Who Sold the World by David Bowie

Donuts and July

I can't believe it's already past the 4th of July! Already over half way through 2009. Crazy. I can't decide if that's good or bad. My next few weeks and months are jam-packed with fun things to do, and I just don't know that I'm ready for it all. So much planning and preparing and doing, and so little time! However, I keep taking the time to be lazy or spontaneous. Like today. I slept in until 10, did pretty much nothing all morning, went to church at 1, then decided it would be a lot of fun to make homemade donuts (doughnuts?). And that took me 2 1/2 hours. Time I could have used for other things considering all that I have to do, and that I probably won't even eat all of the donuts. But whatever, it was fun anyway... And I now have a stomachache from eating almost 3 of those bad boys.

So, what's been happening in the past three weeks? Taylorsville Dayzz was an absolute blast, as always. Best fireworks ever! :) I'm pretty sure I will be more tan this year than I have in the past 4 or 5 years. Somehow, I've managed to spend a lot of time outside, and I'm loving it. I've been trying to plan my company's yearly incentive trip, and so far, it's just been a big pain. I'm not really enjoying it, but I'm hoping once the ball starts rolling, it will be more fun. For the 4th of July, my family went camping and boating on Yuba Lake. We had a really good time, even though it was a short trip. I forget how much I enjoy camping! I hope I have time to go at least once more this year!

Upcoming... I have the house to myself all this week, so I'll be spending quality time at home with Princess. I just love being home alone!! And I'm still planning my trips to New York and Europe, when I have the time. Also, this week, I have family home evening, a concert I want to try to go to, a Bees game with Ariel, Kristin's bridal shower, the multi-stake pool party... Oh man. Here's hoping I get through it all successfully!