Garth, the second time around

Many of you probably already know, but I'm a pretty big Garth Brooks fan. Like I owned his first album (and every one after that) on cassette big. 

I attended one of his concerts way back in 1996. And it was glorious. I'm pretty sure I used an entire Kodak single use camera to produce the world's crappiest concert photos. Right now it irks me something fierce that I can't find the photo of my friend Sarah and me in our matching concert t-shirts to prove how awkward awesome our 12 year-old selves looked. 

So sometime last year when Garth announced he was going back on tour again, I informed Jared and anyone who would listen that I would be seeing him again in concert. No matter what. And this past Thursday night we made that a reality.

It took 3 different shifts of babysitters and a cleaning of one closet filled with old high school junk, but we were on our way to Omaha's opening night of Garth Brooks' 2015 World Tour. 

Of course, no concert road trip is complete without the Econoline van. 
Honestly, I should give it its own tag on this blog. 
She's seen better days, but after a quick battery charge and a thorough clean-out since being placed in storage back in December, we were ready to go.

And remember that closet that needing cleaning out? 
It was an absolute necessity that I wear my original Garth tee.
A necessity I tell you!
Thank God my mom is organized and loves me so.
Check out that vintage loveliness.

Pretty hot, right? 
And I got more than one compliment on this beaut, I will have you know!

We consumed some delicious burgers, onion rings, and beer and then headed to the concert.

We were waaaay up in the stands, maybe 15 rows from the top. But it absolutely did not matter. The roar of the entire crowd was something I've never heard before. When the countdown to Garth began, it was electric in there. 

We stood up for basically every single song (yes, even way up high everybody was standing) and the entire crowd sang along to every word.

And it was L-O-U-D.

Halfway through I looked at Felicia and shouted, "I'm going hoarse!"

It was by far the best concert I have ever attended. 

He sang my favorite song ("Shameless" just FYI) so life was good. But really, it was such a great concert, every song felt like your favorite song. 

Garth's still got it.

I would go again in a heartbeat.

Keep it up, Garth. Maybe in another 19 years I'll come again and bring my kids along too. ;)

Tra-Law

Last night was another conversion van ride (through snow-covered roads) to a concert. It's the third one this year - we road tripped to a random concert last February and then to Cher this summer. 
Truly, the 1995 Econoline just sets the mood for a fun time. 

It was a Tracy Lawrence concert. You might remember him if you listened to country back when country was awesome - aka the 1990s.

But you can't tell we are going to a country concert, can you?

Look at all that plaid...

When we heard earlier this year that Tracy Lawrence was coming to Iowa, we definitely wanted to get tickets. For one, they are cheap as hell. Fifteen dollars? Sign me up.
Reason #2:
The year was 1994 and our grandma Connie never knew what to buy us girls for Christmas. So she goes into WalMart and informs the sales clerk that her granddaughters like country westuurn (how G-Con says it) music and she needs help picking something out. The lady proceeds to come back with VHS tapes of Tracy Lawrence and John Michael Montgomery. She assures my grandma we will love them. And we did - mostly because we thought it was so cool to watch the same music videos over and over again. 
My mom heard "Sticks & Stones" so many times that she probably wanted to take a stick to her eardrums. 

Cut to 20 years later, we buy 3rd row tickets to his concert.

And just like the last time at this venue, we headed for the front of the stage and stayed there. 

We had a good time - we always do together - and when the concert was over we headed to the casino floor.

I am not a huge gambler. Jared and I go maybe two or three times a year, and it is usually because we are in a group like this. But I haven't spent any of my birthday money yet, so I brought along a couple of twenties. My parents like to gamble now and again so I found a seat next to my dad and Beaner and started playing a quarter slot. A few minutes later he wanted to change locations, so I cashed out and followed them. We ended up in the high stakes room. 

And since this is small-town Iowa, the high stakes slots start at a whole dollar. 
I have never played a dollar machine - I am way too much of a tight-ass - but I figured hey, whatever, it's my birthday money. Also, I had a few drinks at the concert and was really going with the flow at this point. I pick a machine, put in the $13 I have left from my twenty, and hit the big red BET button. 

Seven dollars in and my machine starts going nuts.

My brain is working a little more slowly than normal thanks to that Captain and Coke, but the constantly increasing numbers is getting me excited. I yell for my dad that I think I might be winning some real money. 
The machine stops on 480 credits. 
I process for a second. 
Wait, this is a dollar machine! 
A credit is a dollar.

I won $480?!

Night made.

I wish I could show the snapchat video my sister took of me immediately after. I am totally tipsy and fanning myself with my hand because I can't believe I actually won money.

Now, you would think I would be the big winner for the night, right?

Nope.

Justy's boyfriend Zac put 20 bucks in another machine in this same room and hit $770. And he had never been there before and hardly ever gambled in his life.

We later tried to celebrate our winnings by purchasing some late night McDonald's, but the van window wouldn't roll down in the cold (How could you let us down, Vandie?!) and by the time Jared got out and hit it into working again, it was a minute past midnight and the lady in the drive-thru wouldn't take our order.

Fast Food Fail.

But don't worry, I comforted myself with my winnings.  ;)

Cher

I had intentions of doing a combo blog post this week - a compilation of all the things we did. Turns out, we didn't really do all that much worth reflecting on. But I wanted to include some photos from a recent concert. 

You see, I was my grandma Connie's date to Cher.
She bought the tickets for her and my grandpa, but seeing as the seats were on the floor and my grandpa would not enjoy standing on his feet for hours in order to see, I went along in his place. 
My grandma Connie is a big Cher fan. She went to Cher's previous farewell tour (this was farewell #2) ten years ago.
Two of my sisters - Beaner and Justy - are big Cher fans along with my mom. My dad came along for the ride too, although I am not sure he particularly enjoyed himself. 

We roadtripped in the 1995 Econoline per usual. 
It lends itself well to selfies in the back.

Grandma had a few good laughs.
And a Mike's Hard Lemonade.
Us granddaughters expose Grandma to all kinds of new stuff.
Sidenote: she liked it.

I am not the biggest Cher fan, but I thought the show was awesome. It had a bit of a Cirque du Soleil feel to it. There were lots of performers swinging from ropes and awesome dance routines during all of Cher's many costume changes. My sisters and I would watch and try to guess what song was coming next. She sang all our favorites (with the exception of one) and I surprisingly knew a lot of the words, which always makes a concert more fun. 
Oh and FYI, I am sparing you the distant, out-of-focus concert pics. We have all seen enough of those on Facebook to last a lifetime.

Since the concert I've had "I Got You Babe" on perpetual repeat in my head, and it still makes me think of that hilarious Golden Girls episode every single time. 


And then there is the rest of my week that will not be highlighted:

*T-ball
forgot the camera, which is a bummer because little kids batting is adorable

*Doctor's appointment for Avery, all 3 kids along for the fun
a complete shit show and I should have brought the video camera so everyone could watch and be glad they weren't me

*Garage Sale-ing
a tad bit disappointing as my only finds were a mirror and two candlesticks I want to repaint for use during Christmas

mid-week randomness

A random assortment of topics ahead.

This past weekend Jared and I got a last second invite (literally, like 2 hours notice) from my sisters to come with them and my cousin Matt and his girlfriend to a concert. Honestly, I had never even heard of the guy (Keith Anderson), but it turns out I did know two songs. Tickets were $13. (I know, right?) How could I say no?
The concert was at a casino. Bonus.
My dad was our D.D. for the ride home. Bonus.
And my mom watched the kids = free babysitting.  BONUS.

We might have parked and pre-gamed a bit in the conversion van before going inside...
My parents own a sweet 1995 maroon Ford Econoline van. 
Oh the memories!
I hope they still have that big, beautiful beast when my own kids are old enough to drive.  

We proceeded to drink some Captain Morgan that mysteriously made it inside...
Drink mixing in the bathroom always adds a bit of fun to a night.
(I love my family.)

Apparently it was hot in there....

About halfway through the concert, all us girls decided to make our way to the stage.
We proceeded to liven up the party.
(Not hard to do when 3/4 of the crowd is over the age of 50.)

A McDonald's run by our trusty driver Jeff rounded our the night. Nothing like ordering 16 burgers and some fries from one vehicle to confuse the teenagers running the place!

In last week's post I discussed how I was trying out a new brand of fingernail polish: Essie.

I am pleased to report that it is AH-MAZING.

I am finishing out Day 7 right now, and I have zero chips. 

(I used the base and top coat, along with 2 coats of color as directed.)

In fact I am probably going to take it off soon just because I am tired of it - not because it chipped off and looks crappy. 

And that has never happened before.

Yesterday morning when Graham woke up, I started to change him. 

He was wearing a fleece sleeper that is a bit big for him.

I slide the zipper down and find this in the leg of his sleeper:

He slept with a plastic ear of corn in his pant leg.

How comfy!

That started my day off with a good laugh.

And finally (and also FINALLY!),

I bit the bullet and got a smartphone yesterday.

My old piece-o-crap was not even charging anymore.

I went into the store to just browse a few phones for when I did decide to switch, and I had them put my phone on their charger since it was dying. It wouldn't even charge on any of their chargers.

Time to upgrade.

I opted for the Samsung Galaxy s4 mini. 

Jared and my sis Beaner have the s3, but I never have liked how big it is. The mini is designed to compete with the Iphone since it is the same size. I like that it fits in my pocket a little better, but still has all the same features.

And this is the part where I say I am going to try hard not to become one of *those people.* 

Those constant phone-checking, Facebook-scrolling people.

I still think it's really important to be present when you are with people, and for me that means the especially important little people in my house. And maybe Jared too. ;)

M-Bolt

This past weekend was the long awaited Michael Bolton concert.

Or  M-Bolt as he was referred to by some slightly tipsy sisters of mine.

You might be wondering why on Earth we would attend a Michael Bolton concert, especially since he no longer has that shining mane of hair. If so, please refer to my previous post about the 1st Annual Random/Slightly-Awkward Ellis Girls Concert Event HERE.

The concert was outdoors at the Stir Concert Cove in Council Bluffs. We arrived plenty early due to Fe's pestering and set up our camp chairs. Beans and Justy left to go have a few drinks in the car (because that is what you do when drinks are at least $6 a piece) while the rest of us sat back and reserved our spots.

We were about 7 or 8 rows back from the front.

When M-Bolt appeared on stage and sang his opening number we were standing and singing along like all the people in front of us. We take our seats after the song is over and the lady behind us sticks her head in between two of us and in her best principal-sounding voice says, "You can't stand like that for any more of the concert. You have to be sitting because we don't want to stand."

Ummm...pump your brakes, girl.
Who died and made you my elementary school bus driver, telling me when I have to remain seated???

None of us said a word.

Oh wait, scratch that. None of us except Catrina, who very loudly said in disgust:   

OLD PEOPLE! ughhh...

Except she wasn't old, or at least not that old. We continued to do whatever we pleased. Because seriously, if you are going to be a fun-hater, shouldn't you at least sit toward the back and not in the first few rows?!

Regardless of the fuddy-duds in the row behind us, we still had a good time.

Especially these two:

They were up in front of the stage jumping around like they were in a mosh pit - during a Frank Sinatra cover of all songs. My mom, Fe, and I had quite a few laughs at their expense. But at least they were having fun. Apparently Michael appreciated their enthusiasm also.

According to Beaner: He made eye contact FIVE TIMES and he laughed at us!

Now the laughing part I definitely can believe...

For the final set we convinced my mom to stand in front of the stage with us. We had good timing because M-Bolt came out and walked into the crowd and sang a song. And because Justy probably shoved some die-hard 50 year old fan out of the way, we were right up front.

We were literally this close. I took this photo with no zoom.  And then all four of us weirdos reached out and touched his hand.

And Beaner, under the influence of a few beers and two many hot spotlights yelled,
"Michael, you're a sexy beast!"

Yeah. It was that classy.

Fe's only comment was, "He had really soft hands!"

Meanwhile my mom was two rows back and laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes.

We waited all night to hear our song, and he finally sang it.  Steel Bars.

Our night was complete.

Can't wait for another random concert next year!

Steel Balls, errr... I mean, Bars

This summer we will hold the 2nd Annual Random/Slightly-Awkward Ellis Girls Concert Event.

Last year it was  Meat Loaf.

Yes, the same Meat Loaf from the 70s who sang 12-minute-long songs filled with lyrics about bats from Hell and the things he wouldn't do for love.

In short it was awesome.
{Okay, so maybe it wasn't awesome because of him, but we made it awesome nonetheless.}

We kept it classy by pregaming in the parking lot.

Group shot with Meat Loaf (okay, he's cardboard, but it's the best we could do.)

Warm weather and some choice beverages made the night even better.



You might be asking yourself: Why would girls in their 20s, who weren't even born when his songs first came out, attend a Meat Loaf concert?  (Good question.)

The answer is quite simple.

It is all the fault of Linda Wheeler, our childhood babysitter. She watched me from the time I was about 9 months old until I went off to preschool. When she stopped babysitting after Justina was born, we still continued to see her. She, along with her husband Ed, would have us over on weekends every once in a while. {Aren't they wonderful?!} We would all walk to the grocery store, where we would each pick out a candy treat and a pop to have while we watched our movie that night.

Then every summer they would take all of us to AdventureLand in Des Moines. We would load up in their station wagon and the entire way down {and I mean, the entire way down} to Des Moines, we would listen to Meat Loaf cassettes. Ed and Linda loved Meat Loaf, and so gradually after riding in the car with them, all four of us girls became fans.

We always joked that we would go see him in concert if he ever toured again. (Who thought that would happen?!) So when he signed on to play at The Stir Concert Cove in Omaha last year, we bought tickets. Who would have guessed it would be sold out? I am sure we were the youngest people there by far. And I think it's fair to say we knew more songs that most of the people there too. {Or maybe we just sang the loudest....?}

So......
This year we are continuing the trend and inviting Mom along, too.

On June 2nd, we are going to be road tripping to see....Michael Bolton.
{I told you it was random and slightly awkward!}

We also became Michael Bolton fans (and I am using the term "fans" very loosely) by being forced to listen to it in the car. In a different, but equally awesome station wagon, my mom would pop in her variety of Michael albums and - poof! - we knew all the lyrics to "How Can We Be Lovers (If We Can't Be Friends)" Definition of classy right there.

The best was when one of us innocently asked if he was saying "steel balls" in his song "Steel Bars." We proceeded to inject the word "balls" every time and ever since then, no one can sing it correctly. And to be honest, I am looking forward to singing it wrong at his concert in a couple months: "Steel balls...wrapped all around me...."  And don't judge. You (sadly) probably know more of his songs than you think.

It might be a horrible show (although I am sure it will be wonderful since Barbara from New Jersey reviewed his concert - and I quote- "Michael was like a very fine wine, getting better with age." HA!) No matter if he goes hoarse during the concert or sings each song at half tempo (hello Meat Loaf), we are still going to have a good time. Guaranteed.

Now if only he still had all that sexy hair....

   Grrrr.....