Lady Gaga concert

Last night, Geof took my mom and I to see Lady Gaga in concert at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. As you may remember, this was a belated birthday gift for me and an early one for my mom. My mom may be in her 60’s, but she is a huge fan and so am I. I liked Gaga before she really became what she is today and think she has incredible talent.


Monster Ball!

The morning of the concert was spent rushing around. I went to MAC to have my makeup done for the occasion and then came home and got my outfit together. It felt a little strange since it’s not typically how I dress. My fears were put aside as soon as we arrived at the concert and realized that my outfit was pretty tame compared to some others.


Ready for the concert...big bow headband and all!

We started the night off at one of our favorite restaurants in the city, Jones. It was nice to enjoy dinner before the show and we had a great time. It was also a perfect night in the city weather-wise, so that made it even better. The food at Jones is such a guilty pleasure. I stuck with the usual grilled cheese and tomato soup that I always get when we go there.

We left right from Jones and headed to the show. Geof got us club box tickets and I couldn’t wait to get up there and see the view. We got to our box and you could see everything so perfectly. The opening act was horrible. It was a band called Semi Precious Weapons and they just weren’t for me. I couldn’t wait for it to be over. They played about a half hour and then the stage was set for Gaga.


Me with Geof and my mom

She came on a little after 9 pm and played for a solid 2 hours. This was a show I will never forget. She sang, danced, played the piano and bantered with the audience. It was everything I expected and more. Her voice sounded amazing live and I love how the show told a story of trying to make it to the “Monster Ball”. There were elaborate sets and the show was very creative.






Someone in the crowd threw a Phillies hat onstage and she wore it for a few songs


Playing a fiery piano


That is Gaga in the white costume








I couldn't get a good photo of the monster, so I took a little video clip during Paparazzi. She sounds so good!

I heard all of my favorite songs, Paparazzi, Bad Romance, Just Dance, Love Game, Pokerface, Monster, So Happy I Could Die, Alejandro, Telephone, and many more. Not only was it great to finally get to see Lady Gaga live, but it was also nice to have a night with two of my favorite people, Geof and my mom!

Weekend recap

Friday, the ladies and I went over to our friend Krystie’s house for a girl’s night. The wine was flowing and the food was delicious. Everyone made a little something and we had a feast. We had ribs, cous cous salad with apples and cranberries, homemade baked beans, cornbread, and s’mores for dessert.

The main reason for going to Krystie’s was so that we could see her baby, Bryce. He is now 5 months old and as adorable as ever. The ladies and I were hogging him most of the night. I didn’t want to put him down. He is such a happy baby!


Baby Bryce!

Saturday, Geof and I went to a benefit at the pool and people were actually swimming, even though the water was freezing. It was nice to see everyone and say goodbye until next summer. After the pool, we came home and got ready to go out with our friend’s Cory and Laura to celebrate Cory’s birthday. We went to The Melting Pot for dinner and it was delicious, as always.


Geof and I at the pool


Laura and Cory and Geof and I...gotta love the steam from the pot

Sunday, we took it easy. We did a little grocery shopping and then came home and watched some football. Geof is in full blown fantasy mode…enough said. I snoozed a few hours on the couch and then my mom came over and made dinner for us. We watched the VMA’s and then the season finale of True Blood. I cannot believe how many storylines were left hanging on True Blood, but I was really happy that Lady Gaga won so many VMA’s! I also have to say that Florence from Florence and The Machine put on an amazing performance. Thank goodness some people can still sing live and sound amazing.


Lady Gaga in all her glory

Labor Day weekend recap

Friday, we ran a few errands and then went to Pinocchio’s for dinner. Geof loves when we go there so that he can pay a visit to the beer garden and pick out some fancy beers. I even picked one out that we enjoyed at home growler style called Bethlehem Brew Works Loco Lime Lager. It was really refreshing and the perfect brew to end summer with. Once we got home, we did some weeding in our garden and got it all cleaned up for fall. We spent the night relaxing and it was nice to take it easy.



Saturday, we headed down to Delaware. It was the last day for 20% off at Ulta and Geof wanted to go to Best Buy. Since they were right next to each other, it worked out perfectly. After shopping, we went Jared Jewelers and then further into DE to have a late lunch at Don Pablo’s. It may be a chain, but I love that place. We were stuffed and ended up heading across the way to the mall to walk it off. When we first walked in, there was a sign stating that any minors had to be accompanied by an adult. Every 5 minutes I saw a mall security guard questioning a teenager. I guess they weren’t kidding! They opened a Bare Escentuals Boutique in the mall and it was beautiful. I ended up getting Well Rested and the RareMinerals facial moisturizer and eye cream. So far, I really like both.



Once we got back home, we took the dogs for a long walk. The weather was nice and cool and the dogs loved it. We came home and caught up on all of the TV we missed when we were in SC.

Sunday, I slept in pretty late and spent most the day relaxing. I took another long nap in the afternoon. I guess I was a little more tired than I realized. There is also something about when I feel that crispness in the air like fall is right around the corner. It puts me in hibernation mode.

Monday was nice to have off. We went to Tom Jones (diner) for lunch and then went to the store to get some things so that I could make a spaghetti dinner. We settled in for the rest of the afternoon and then I made dinner and watched Bachelor Pad. I wish I’d ever gotten into that show. It turned out to be not what I thought at all and I cannot stand all of the backstabbing.

Simply Bags Review

Bob from Simply Bags contacted me and offered to send me a personalized insulated lunch bag. After I checked out all of the fabulous products on his website, I jumped at the opportunity and worked with him to have it personalized with my initials, in pink of course! The shipping was fast and the bag arrived in great condition.



It’s the perfect size for toting everything you need for lunch into the office and I’ve even been using it to keep sodas cold at the pool. The insulation keeps things chilled for hours. The fact that it’s personalized makes it even better. It also has a zipper pouch in the front and pocket in the back that would be great to carry utensils, condiments, etc.





Aside from lunch bags, they also offer personalized laptop bags, totes, duffle bags, and cosmetic bags. The personalization is always included in the price, which is a major plus! You will find a ton of variety on their website with an array of designs sure to please any taste.

Simply Bags sent this lunch bag free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

South Carolina – Part 2

Saturday, we drove up to the outskirts of Charlotte and went to Ballantyne Village to walk around and explore some of the cute little shops. We visited The Blushing Bakeshop and had some cupcakes. The cupcakes we fluffy and delicious. The frosting is whipped and wasn’t too heavy, which was perfect on a hot Southern afternoon. The girl that worked in the shop was so also sweet and helpful in giving us some good tips about the area.


Me at The Blushing Bakeshop

After Ballantyne Village, we headed off to another part of Charlotte and went to Cantina 1511 for lunch. We heard some great things about this place and wanted to try it. This is seriously up there for some of the best Mexican food that I’ve ever had. Our sever made some recommendations and I’m glad we listened. We shared Queso Fundido as an appetizer and it was so rich, we didn’t come close to finishing it. We also shared the margarita flight that included their top shelf, house and blood orange versions of the cocktail. For lunch, Geof and I both had the Barbacoa de Puerco (basically shredded pork w/rice, pico de gallo, Mexican cheeses, guacamole, and flour tortillas). We also had the most delicious traditional and tomatillo salsa.


Geof and I at Cantina 1511


Margarita flight and Queso Fundido

After lunch, we walked around the shopping area a little bit and then drove down to the Lynx light rail station to catch a train into uptown Charlotte. This is such a convenient way to travel and I only wish we had something like this back home. We were dropped off right at the EpiCentre and this place was so fun. It’s an area filled with restaurants, nightlife and some shopping. There was also a Carolina Panthers game that night so there were a lot of fans out and about. We walked around for awhile and finally settled at Whiskey River for a drink. They had a mechanical bull, so we had to go check it out. Neither of us went for a ride though.


The EpiCentre in Charlotte


Geof on the bull


Pretty sunset on the train ride back

It was getting late, so we headed back to our hotel. We decided to go for a night swim and then befriended one of the workers at our hotel. He was so sweet and we told him about the SafetySuit concert the next night and said he might come because he was a fan of the band. It turns out that he did come to the concert and brought a friend. They were both such nice Southern gentlemen.

Sunday, we slept in pretty late and then spent most of the day relaxing out by the pool. We grabbed a quick lunch and then got ready to head out for the night. We drove up to Winthrop University for the SafetySuit show and met up with some friends we knew from Twitter; Jessica, her sister Ali and their dad. They flew all the way in from Boston for the show and are huge fans of the band. They were all so nice and it was great to meet in person.


Geof and I at the SafetySuit show


Twitter peeps!

They finally opened the doors around 6:30 and we headed into the show. The concert was wonderful and I was so glad that we got to see the band once more before they head back into the studio to finish up their 2nd album. We got to catch up with their sound guy, John who is as nice (and funny) as they come. We waited for the crowd to die down and then got to talk to the SafetySuit boys. It was nice to catch up with all of them and hear about their summer. They recently went to Europe and Africa to play for the troops and I thought that was really special.


Concert time!



Us with Doug, Tate, Jeremy and Dave

After the show, we headed back to the hotel and got ready for the long drive back home the next morning. We had a great few days away and it was nice to visit a city that I’ve never been to before. I can honestly see myself living in the South someday.

South Carolina - Part 1

Hello, my friends! This month has flown by and I cannot believe that tomorrow is the beginning of September. I wanted to recap our trip to South Carolina into 2 parts and below is Part 1. I have also posted the winner of the Lisa Leonard gift certificate at the bottom of this post. Thank you to everyone who entered.

We got up Thursday, picked up the rental car, fueled up and headed off for South Carolina. I had to gear up for this trip considering I’ve never driven more than 4 hours in the car. The drive wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. We hit some traffic around DC and Northern Virginia, but otherwise it was smooth sailing. About 6 hours into the drive, we needed gas and dinner so we stopped at a Cracker Barrel and gas station somewhere in North Carolina. I really needed a rest and my foot was pretty cramped. The break got me geared up for the last 1/3 of the trip and we finally made it to the hotel around 10:30 pm. They put us in a King Suite and then we got all settled in and called it a night.


Cracker Barrel photo shoot...Geof's expression cracks me up!


Our room

Friday we had a quick breakfast at the hotel and then went to checkout Winthrop University so we knew where we needed to be for the SafetySuit concert that Sunday and then headed to Target to pick up some things we managed to forget to bring along. Geof spotted a Jack in the Box and said we had to go there since we don’t have any near us.

After lunch, we headed back to the hotel and got ready to go lay out by the pool and go for a dip. We spent a few hours in the sun and then cleaned up to head out for the evening. We went to Jim ‘n Nick’s Bar-B-Q and it was beyond delicious. We definitely don’t have places like this back in PA. Our server could not have been any nicer and I was really starting to dig the Southern hospitality. After dinner, we decided to go to a movie and ended up seeing The Last Exorcism. It was super creepy and definitely gave me a good scare for the rest of the night. I have to give two thumbs up for an original horror movie. It goes to show that it doesn’t have to be a remake or a sequel to be effective. After the movie, we headed back to the hotel and relaxed for the rest of the night.


Pool time!


Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q


Beef Brisket dinner. That dinner and the cheddar biscuits were out of control good.


Us at dinner



The winner of the $50 Lisa Leonard gift certificate is Natalie from Miss Brightside. There were a total of 108 entries and I used Random.org to draw the winner. The number that resulted was #9 which belongs to Natalie. Congrats! Please contact me with your mailing info so that I can pass it along to Lisa.

Lisa Leonard Designs Giveaway

I am delighted to announce that I’ve paired up with the talented Lisa Leonard to giveaway a $50 gift certificate to her shop, Lisa Leonard Designs. I’ve admired her jewelry for a long time. She is so creative and such a doll. She also has a blog and can work with you to customize special pieces for an event. I love something she recently did for the bridal party at a wedding. I’m sure the ladies loved their customized pieces.

You can use the gift certificate towards anything you like and there are so many affordable designs. Here are some of my favorites:


illuminate necklace


teenie tiny initials necklace


aqua stone necklace


hope is the thing...


you are loved necklace

To enter:
Please visit Lisa’s shop and let me know something you would like to use the gift certificate towards. This is mandatory for one entry.

Extra entries:
Follow my blog or let me know you’re already a follower (+1 entry)
Follow me (@ChicnPink) on Twitter (+1 entry)
Follow Lisa (@lisaleonard) on Twitter (+1 entry)
Post about this giveaway on your blog or sidebar linking back (+2 entries)

That is 6 possible entries! Please let me know in one comment how many entries you’re eligible for so it will be easier to keep track. The winner will be chosen using Random.org.

Rules:
1. This giveaway is open to US and Canadian readers only
2. This giveaway will be open until 8/31/10 at 11:59PM. The winner will be announced on 9/1/10 and must contact me with their information to receive their prize.