our babyfree weekend

Two weekends ago, hubs and I got to go on our first overnight without baby mini-vacay. It was more like a staycation, considering we were only 10 minutes from our home and 15mins from Matthew, but none the less, i was still a tad emotional when we dropped him off at my sisters.

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You probably heard me mention a few times on here about Tortuga Music Festival. Well it was taking place on our home beach from April 13-14. Seeing that it was the inaugural event, we were unsure of just how much of a clusterf*ck hassel it would be down by the beach.

So, we opted to get a hotel room at a old florida type motel, called Tropic Cay, for Friday and Saturday night. This way we wouldnt have to worry about beating the traffic Sat morning since the first act went on at 11am. One of my childhood best friends, Erin and her mom also got a room at the same hotel, so we did have some fun Friday night as well.

 

It was actually a little funny because Erin kept saying it was so weird to be out at midnight with me and hubs. (she knows we norm kick people out of our house by this time so we can go to sleep! lol). But this weekend would be different. Time for mommy and daddy to enjoy some adult fun time. So what are baby-free parents to do? We hit up the notorious Blondies. I swear this place has been around FOOOOORRREEEEEVVVVEEERRRR (said like from the movie The Sandlot). Its basically a chuck-e-cheese for adults. Bar. Beach. Pool Tables. Basketball Hoop game. Arcade Games. You name it. But its also basically a dive bar. Its actual name is Dirty Blondies, and it lives up to that name 100%.

 

We decided to walk to the bar, i mean come on we were on the beach, why the hell not? But, it sure did give us a little bit of a heads up of how far the walk would be to the concert the following two days. Realistically, it wasnt that far, but try walking that route twice a day, in the blazing hot sun, after drinking beer all day, in the heat, and hardly eating anything. It was for sure my workout for the weekend.

 

Saturday morning, I wish I could say I took advantage of sleeping in. Like really took advantage of it. But considering we didnt go to bed till about 3am, waking up at 10am just didnt feel like a full nights sleep to me. But who am I to complain right? We waited at the hotel for our other friends to show up and then headed down to Sonic for some breakfast? lunch? breakfast. Hubs absolutely loves Sonic, and its literally the only one that is close to us. But we hadnt been there because we never actually get the time to go to BeachPlace (a mall thats right across the street from the beach). Now let me tell you something, you thought Sonic was good in the middle of nowhere? Well its like waaaaay better on the beach. With a bar and all! Best.Sonic.Ever. And yes we did have it again on Sunday too. lol. (good thing we walked so much!)

 

As for the actual festival? It was awesome! Im not going to give you a detailed recount of the whole thing, because honestly i cant remember that would take forever. But lets just say, all the musicians put on dam good show. My favs included Michael Franti, Jake Owen, Lynrd Skynrd, Kenny Chesney, and my favorite was Eric Church. Ive seen Kenny Chesney in concert about a million times, and he always puts on a good show. Lynrd Skynrd rocked the house! It was my first time seeing them and as Ronnie Van Zant put it "Theres nothing better than a Skynrd crowd!" He was waving his rebel and american flag the entire time. Now, Michael Franti, i truely didnt really know all of his music (although surprisingly alot more than I thought) and he was the one who really got everyone moving dancing and jumping around through his entire performance. I was surprised they didnt have him on the bigger stage. Erins mom actually had him as the one artist she WOULD NOT miss. We ended up losing her and then found out later she was backstage with Michael Frantis girlfriend. Go figure?!?!

Michael Franti

Eli Young Band

Kenny Chesney

Eric Church

Eric Church

And of course, Eric Church just blew us all away. If you remember, I saw him back in December for my birthday. I dont know if it was the beach, booze, or day, but he was even better than I remember! We actually almost didnt get to see him perform, as he was the closer on Sunday night, which meant he played from like 7:30-9pm. We were supposed to leave and go pick up Matthew, but my sister generously offered to just keep him another night. I was a little uneasy with the thought of this. Not that I didnt trust her or anything, i just missed my baby. And I knew we would probably be home by 11pm, and just didnt like the thought/feeling of being home without him (its different if im at a hotel ;)). But thank god/sis, she did keep him, because it really truely was an incredible show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We cant wait to go back next year. It was well worth the $150 per ticket. And made an awesome birthday gift for the hubs! Some things I will remember for next time though include getting a closer hotel, reapplying suncreen religiously, bring a hat, and have just as much fun if not more than this years! (that last one is going to be pretty hard to top!)

Rock the Ocean and Tortuga Music Festival

You've all probably heard me mention here and there that hubs and I will be going to the Tortuga Music Festival this weekend. Not only is it our first weekend away from Matthew, but its also a great opportunity to help raise awareness about our oceans while listening to great music on the beach.

On April 13th & 14th, Fort Lauderdale Beach will host Rock the Ocean’s inaugural Tortuga Music Festival. The beach will be transformed into an oceanfront music experience, featuring top country and rock artists and local culinary delights on the shores of the Florida coast. Together with Rock The Ocean, Tortuga will pair music with meaning by raising awareness about marine conservation and issues affecting the world’s oceans.

While the concert is going to be absolutely unbelievable, i mean come on look at the lineup...

I think its also important to remember the reason we're even having this festival in the first place. The Rock The Ocean Foundation is dedicated to supporting scientific research, education and increasing public awareness about the issues impacting our oceans.

Think about it, did you know?

• Plastic waste kills up to 1 million sea birds, 1 hundred thousand sea mammals and countless fish each year.
• 70% of the world's fisheries are fully exploited, over exploited or depleted!
• Humans have caused the depletion of 90% of the oceans large predators due to unsustainable fisheries.
• Up to 39 million tons of unwanted fish are killed and dumped back into the sea each year.

They are also working with The Guy Harvey Foundation, an organization dedicated to ensuring that future generations will enjoy and benefit from a naturally balanced ocean ecosystem.

I know it may be a little too late to buy tickets, airfare, & hotel to come join us this weekend (although if youre able to, send me an email and we should meet up!), but its definitely not too late to help support the cause!

Donate Now - Secure Online Fundraising
Ive only set a small goal of $200 for my page, but anything would help, especially when its our beautiful oceans were talking about!

emmy rossum's new album sentimental journey

So if youve been reading for a while, you know that while Im not personally musically talented whatsoever, music is still a major part of my life. I love lots of types of music, mostly country, but I love to hear new music. As a couple, hubs and I go to lots of concerts, and there always seems to be music playing in the background when we hang out with family and friends. So when I got the opportunity to review Emmy Rossum's new album Sentimental Journey I was waaay excited. 

You may know Emmy (yes were on a first name basis ;) lol ) as the gorgeous actress who currently stars in the Showtime series Shameless with William H. Macy. She also stars alongside Emma Thompson and Viola Davis in the upcoming feature film Beautiful Creatures (you know the book I talked about reading), which hits theaters on February 13th. You also might recognize her from The Day After Tomorrow, Phantom of the Opera, or Mystic River. Needless to say, shes a great actor. Ill admit, Im always a little skeptical when celebrities try to crossover to different industries. If theyre good at one thing they should stick with it, because I rarely see one that can be awesome at both. Emmy Rossum? she goes in the exception group.

She has an absolutely beautiful voice. One that you can hear for yourself with her new album Sentimental Journey which released only a few days ago. An album where she most definitely brings her stellar voice to songs popularized by some of the most beloved artists of the last century. Heres a quick look at the track list:

1. “Sentimental Journey” (Les Brown, Ben Homer, Arthur Green)
2. “The Object Of My Affection” (Pinky Tomlin)
3. “I’m Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover “(Mort Dixon, Harry M. Woods)
4. “These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)” (Eric Maschwitz, Jack Strachey)
5. “(I’ll Be With You) In Apple Blossom Time” (Albert Von Tilzer, Neville Fleeson)
6. “Summer Wind” (Heinz Meier, Johnny Mercer)
7. “Many Tears Ago” (Winfield Scott)
8. “All I Do Is Dream Of You” (Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed)
9. “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out” (Jimmy Cox)
10. “Autumn Leaves” (Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prévert)
11. “Things” (Bobby Darin)
12. “Pretty Paper” (Willie Nelson)

Whats even cooler you ask? According to Emmy, "Each song needed to either lyrically or emotionally reflect the corresponding month." "Some songs were obvious fits, like Summer Wind for June, and Pretty Paper for December. Others songs were less literal fits." She chose Nobody Knows You (When You're Down and Out) for September because, to her, the plaintive melody and lyric emotionally reflect the cold weather creeping in and the sense of melancholy we can get in the fall months.

Now, Ive always been honest when I review products, or music in this case, and Im not changing now. So here is my brutal opinion. The girl is gorgeous. Is an awesome actress. Has a gorgeous voice. And uses some classic songs to help establish her her name in the music industry. The album is beautiful, but personally not my choice for the everyday music i would turn on. To me, first it reminded me of music I would probably have playing during the holidays. Not like christmas music, but music that could be played as background music. And then I thought about it, and that is exactly what I would use it for. I could literaly imagine myself sitting on my back patio, enjoying the summer breeze (yes thinking ahead) with a few friends and a couple of glasses of wine.

If I had to pick my two favorite tracks though, I would probably go with Many Tears Ago and Things. They both seem to be the most upbeat to me. Not that all of them need to be upbeat, but they seem more fun to listen to. If you want to listen to the album head on over to either iTunes or Amazon where you can now buy it. You can also catch Emmy on her upcoming TV appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson this Tuesday, February 6th.

 




I participated in this campaign for One2One Network. I received a free copy of the CD to facilitate my review. By posting, I am eligible for incentives. All opinions stated are my own.

from a couple that rocks, to a family that rocks!

This post is brought to you by The New Santa Fe from Hyundai. Think your family rocks? Show us by uploading a photo of your family rocking out. Enter now for a chance to win great prizes.



Its funny when I look back over the years, the memories that stand out to me always have music involved. Not like music as in any of my family members actually can carry a tune, but more like music has always been something that was apart of the happy times.

I can remember, and so can most of my close family and friends, when me and my best friend would dance on the coffee table in my parents living room while looking at ourselves in the large mirror on the other side of the room. What was on the stereo you may ask? lets see probably Sir MixALot (Baby Got Back) or 2 Live Crew or even Quad City DJs (Come on Ride that Train). Just typing that list makes me literally LAUGH OUT LOUD.  We were young and crazy and music just put everyone in a good mood. Especially when you see 2 lil white girls breaking down to some old school rap song. And yes, we.broke.it.down.

Then once I got into high school my music preferences only multiplied. Again, not like I had any musical talent whatsoever, well except if you count blaring my loud music in my old beat up saturn winds down, sunroof open, not a care in the world, singing my little heart out. (Of which multiple occasions landed me bright red faced when cute boys ended up next to me at a red light) But also I learned to enjoy all types of music. I loved listening to the oldies and classic rock stations that I had been accustomed to from my mother and father. I loved listening to rap and pop songs, you know because my "cooler" older sister and her friends did. And then my boyfriend (hubby now) introduced me to my love of country music.

Over the past 10 years my husband and I have been together, I cant even count the number of concerts we've been to. We have a long standing tradition to go to the Annual Kiss Country Chili Cookoff, where beer live performances of the top country stars put over 30,000 people in one heck of a good mood. Plus so many other random concerts, with Eric Church being our next planned concert on  Dec 15th for an early birthday present to me (and mommy first official night out without the baby...only took 6 months right?)

Yes, I was pregnant this past chili cookoff, and you best believe it didnt stop me from going. And I know people say that now that we have a kid outings like this will be few and far between, but to tell you the honest truth, I hope to involve me son in outings like this. Even with Chili cookoff. I say, bring a pack-n-play and let him listen to the music as well (although we may not venture into the event, just do the tailgating part lol)

We can already tell hes going to love music. Even when he was still instead my belly. Any time I played country music loud enough, whether in the car or just around the house, he would start kicking up a storm. And now that hes out of my tummy, he still responds to music. It may be my awful voice singing to him "You are my sunshine," or even "He's Mine" (by Rodney Atkins) but his face just lights up. And who wouldnt continue singing a lil bit louder if you got a grin like this to follow it?

What about your family? Does your family rock out in the car? Go to concerts together? Or just plain old ROCK!?!?! Well then you should def check out this fun contest going on from Hyundai Santa Fe and Rolling Stone!


Its really simple to enter, just go here, upload a pic of how your family rocks, and write a lil blurb about it. And you could win a photo shoot in Rolling Stone with your whole family, airfare, hotel and transportation to the 55th Grammy Awards, and a fully tricked-out Hyundai Santa Fe custom rock ‘n’ roller. How fun would that be? But hurry, because you only have until December 14th to enter!

Good luck!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Chris Mann - New Album: Roads (Review)

Do any of you watch The Voice? If you do, you might recognize this Mann (haha get it? man and Mann, I know Im corny) from the second season. He was on team Christina and made it all the way to the semifinals where he won fourth place with this performance of Ave Maria.


He really is a talented artist and his new album, Roads, is set to release tomorrow October 30, 2012. You can buy it on iTunes or Amazon.

Now, Ill completely admit, Im not a huge Voice fan, and I really didnt know who he was, but after a friend mentioned how good he was on The Voice, I had to look him up. To my surprise, I was faced with this hunky guy!

Now you tell me you wouldnt want to learn more about him after that pic! yeah, go on, try, ill wait...........lol

I luckily, was able to score a copy of his entire album before its release. The minute I saw the email come through, I downloaded all the songs to listen to as I was working. If you're unfamiliar with him or his type of music, I would best describe it as classically based pop music. The album Roads contains a wide assortment of songs, ranging from Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind” and Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now” to “Ave Maria” and Damien Rice’s “The Blowers’ Daughter,” (you probably recognize from the movie Closer) which features a duet with Christina Aguilera. 

I think I would have to say, my favorite song on the album is his cover version of Need You Now, but then again, Im definitely a southern girl at heart, so any country music is probably going to be the the ones that attract me the most  ;)

More than just the lyrics of popular songs, Chris Mann's voice and the classical ballads behind the voice, give the original songs a completely different feel. The background of piano music, which you'll hear in alot of his songs, was a great way to listen to some of my favorite hits during work, without disturbing any coworkers. Its light on the ear, but his voice brings it home with a strong tenor. Now, if you're not one for cover versions of songs, then this album probably isnt for you. However, if you're open to hearing new renditions of an old-time favorite, plus a couple of newer songs with the same classical pop twist, then I would definitely suggest buying this album.

You can learn more about Chris by checking out his website, following him on twitter, or becoming one of his thousands of fans on facebook.

Did you watch The Voice when Chris Mann was competing? Which was your favorite song he covered?

This is a review post from One2One Network. I was provided with a copy of the album and I am eligible for a prize drawing. All opinions stated are my own.