{wedding prep}

Lydia gets married Saturday, and with the wedding use days away we are all getting wonderful cases of butterflies! Excitement fills the air, and last minute projects are getting done. Lydia has done such a wonderful job of planning in advance so that nothing is really left to the last minute. I have planned a few things for this week. I want to make a little wedding day emergency kit. With just a few little essentials: Tide pen, water, tissues, breath mints, etc. I saw this

and thought it had a pretty good assortment of stuff. Kyle (the groom) comes in today from England! Lydia hasn't seen him in six months (he is in the Air Force and is stationed in England) so naturally, her heart is on the brink of exploding. 

More wedding updates to come as the week progresses. 

{the door: part 2}

So the door project is coming along swimmingly. The scraping has been going a little slowly, just because when I get home from work, there are only so many light hours in the day, and I have to work under the house (it is dark down there). 

{door progress}

I still have scraping to do, but I bought some supplies today that might make it go a little quicker.

{the supplies}

My roommate had a hand sander (a gift from the heavens!) and today I bought some 40 grit sand paper. It should strip the paint off very quickly. 

I also bought some TSP to clean the wood. The door has some rotten spots, so hopefully when I get all the paint off and get it sanded down, I can clean it properly. 

 I am still trying to figure out what color I want to paint it. Any suggestions? I was thinking maybe having an undercoat of cream or beige and then covering it over with a steely-blue. I would distress it after that so the cream would show through. Any ideas are welcome!

{bonnaroo}

{ready for the roo}

As first timer at Bonnaroo I did not know what exactly to expect. In the end, it surpassed my expectations as far as how much fun I thought I was going to have. There was so much music, positivity, food, and happiness that emanated from the small town of Manchester, TN that it is little wonder this event can only occur once a year. It is an amazing operation. Over 80,000 people camped on the 700 acres in Manchester, TN from the 6th to the 11th of June.

We saw some incredible music. The Red Hot Chili Peppers put on a great who. Anthony Kiedis and Flea are both pushing fifty years old and they still put on an amazing show.

{RHCP were tough to see but still rocked}

We saw some lovely smaller bands. The Punch Brothers were awesome. Chris Thilly (the lead singer and a former member of Nickel Creek) is totally adorable, as is the rest of the band.

{the punch brothers}

Fiest, Gary Clark Jr., the Avett Brothers, and the Temper Trap were are great.

{a bonnaroovian sunset}

The Beach Boys performed all together in their first year of touring all together in years, and their 50th year of touring as the Beach Boys. It was so great, upbeat and happy.

{the beach boys}

I am not a Radio Head fan and didn't know any of their songs before I saw them at the Roo, but they turned out to be one of my favorite bands. Their music was entrancing.

{radiohead was captivating}

My favorite set was Bon Iver. I have been in love with them since 2008 and I wish I could be in their music. Lydia and I stood in line to be in the pit for about an hour and half and ended up really close to the stage. Bon Iver is intoxicating. Their music brought me to tears. It makes me nostalgic for a moment in my life I am not even sure exists. For so long I was under the impression that they made so much of their sound through electronic means, while in reality, they have learned to use many different instruments to capture that mythical sound that penetrates you and leaves your soul both stunned and at peace. Seeing Bon Iver was like exhaling. I can't wait to see them again.

{making the world stop}

Bonnaroo was a great adventure. The people, the open mindedness, and the weirdness was so great. I cannot wait to see what the line up will be for next year!

{just married}

{potty prose}

{alligator burrito}

{see you next year}

{road trip}

{hello columbia}

We went to Bonnaroo this past weekend and were able to drive through some of the most beautiful country the United States has to offer. The Blue Ridge Mountains and the Smokey Mountains are gorgeous, and this time of year everything is so lush it looks like a paradise.

{a mountainous greeting}

It was so great coming over the crest of one hill and being able to behold the towering peaks and quiet valleys throughout the drive. The way to Tennessee was bright an sunny the whole way, and the way back was rainy and dark.

{big sky}

The return trip gave us the chance to see the misty mountains around the border of Tennessee and Georgia. Mystery, locked away in the grey-green hollers of the countryside. It was a great drive.

 {lush}

{the door: part 1}

{the door}

I found this door under my house a few weeks ago. Without an idea of what I was going to do with it, I knew I needed to keep it. One of these days I would have a use for it. It needs to be scraped, sanded, cleaned, and repainted. I think now I am going to hang pots from it in my new apartment. Any ideas?

{new housemate}

{Pabst}

Pabst has come to stay. He has already left claw marks on me, and electrocuted himself a few times (we think) after gnawing on chords. He is adorable and it is nice to have a roommate who has an animal so you can play with him when you want, but when he gets too much to handle, you can pawn him off. Is that bad? I'm not worried. He is great.

{summer in the city}

Lydia and I had a girl's night last night. The city is so active this time of year! Spoleto makes everything seems so much more romantic. 

 {the bridge at night}

We had dinner at Osteria La Bottiglia and it was wonderful. Wine, pasta, everything. Such a nice Italian atmosphere, and great music.

{un po' d'Italia}

We had after dinner drinks at The Belmont, a wonderful place if you want to feel like you dropped into a Humphrey Bogart movie. It has a classic American vibe and is basically just a good place for a good drink. 

{lovely dinner at Osteria La Bottiglia}

After that, we were still in search of libation, so we went to Fish. Live music, friendly staff and patrons, and good drinks. All in all it was a great, relaxing night. 

{fish}