Hi everyone and happy Thursday! I was going to save this friendly reminder post until Saturday but I have quite a bit to do today so I figured I’d keep my daily post short and sweet. What am I so busy with? Well I’m glad you asked! I have the pleasure of penning a new article for an incredibly talented artist fresh out of Ohio, Nelson Morris. His work on the “1000 Faces Project” will be on display at the Cleveland Ingenuity Festival this weekend as well as at the Waterloo Sculpture Garden. Yesterday I got to sit down over coffee with Nelson and chat away about his creative endeavors. I’d like to get a rough draft of the article done today while everything is fresh in my noggin so I don’t completely jack up describing all of the technicalities that Nelson told me about. This guy is the real deal so you’re all in for a real treat once the interview is published!
I’m not going to post Nelson’s contact info just yet but I do encourage you to show some love to the Facebook pages of yours truly, Recipe of Life, Millstone, and Daffodil Blue Photography! Please, please, please? 🙂
I don’t ask for much on the ol’ blog but I really would appreciate it if you guys took the time to give a quick “like” to any and all of these pages. Supporting local artists who use their talents to not only express themselves but relate to others is so important and I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I didn’t showcase all of their amazing work on lifewithlilred. Thanks again!!
Alright everyone, it’s almost the weekend so hang tight for just a few more days! Does anyone have any big plans coming up? Who is one of your favorite local artists in your neck of the woods? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hiii guys! I hope you’re having an awesome start to your week so far! So on Friday I had the pleasure of seeing my friends in Millstone perform as the openers for Hawthorne Heights at The Outpost in Kent, Ohio. I got to spend the day with the band and my boyfriend, Kyle, and it was honestly one of the best times I’ve had in a long time. Take a listen to Millstone’s debut full length album, The Dreams We Don’t Remember, and then let’s discuss:
Kyle and I had a somewhat early day on Friday, because we had to drive from Canton to Highland Square in Akron to meet up with the Millstone boys to help assemble all of their equipment for the show. Lucky for me, since I was the only girl all I had to do was watch as the guys did all of the grunt work! I did carry a few guitars though, so I guess you can say that I helped. 😉 After a break for a late Chipotle lunch, we (and by we I mean everyone but me) gathered the last of the amps and instruments into various cars and headed for The Outpost.
Once we arrived at the venue, all of the gear had to be hauled out of the car and onto the stage so everything was ready for the big show. A lot of other local bands were performing as well so tons of musicians were already there preparing for their set upon our arrival. It was basically like being in a co-ed fraternity for musicians and their friends. Thanks to the helping hands of people at The Outpost and the adrenaline for the evening kicking in, we were able to unload the car in record speed, which left us enough time to get some margaritas at Salsita’s, a Mexican restaurant down the street.
It was so much fun hanging out with the band, mutual friends, and my man in such a relaxed environment after a semi stressful afternoon. We got hella pitchers of raspberry margaritas and enjoyed our time out until the Millstone members had to get back to the venue. By the time we got back to The Outpost, bands were already performing on the multiple stages in the building. Kyle and I opted for a spot out on the patio where we had some time to kill with friends for two or so hours until Millstone was ready for their set. We had a few more drinks and I got to meet a lot of Kyle’s friends who I’ve heard so much about, so that was awesome!
Millstone was due to perform at 9:30 and we were all getting really excited. By the time they were getting themselves together on stage, I was lightweight freaking out from happiness for them. The last time I wrote about Millstone, their guitarist, Adam, told me that he would love to have the band eventually open for Hawthorne Heights and here they were a few months later doing the damn thing! Millstone one hundred and fifty percent annihilated their set. They sounded so amazing and were so much fun to watch. It was so cool to see their music come to life off of their album and to see all of the guys let their individual personalities shine through on stage. Millstone killed it like no other and I was so proud to be watching them in the audience.
After an amazing performance by my friends, it was time for Hawthorne Heights to take the stage. As I mentioned before, I saw HH live when I was sixteen or so and it was awesome. All of my emo kid fantasies of meeting the band and crying to “Ohio Is For Lovers” came true that night, so needless to say, I was pretty fucking stoked to see them again…And then, Hawthorne Heights appeared on stage…Oh.
As soon as the guys came on, I only recognized two of the band mates who I originally saw all of those years ago, which was kind of disappointing – but don’t even get me started on their appearances. All of the Hawthorne Heights players looked old, overweight, and tired. They were not the energetic and charismatic guys I saw five years ago. Here’s the thing, I wouldn’t have been so upset about the guys not living up to my memories appearance-wise BUT their music didn’t sound very good either. They mostly played songs off of The Silence In Black And White but all of it sounded slow and toned down. It was like watching a really bad cover band competing in a battle of the bands competition…It was shameful.
About three songs into their set, I was bored to tears, I wasn’t anywhere near as emotional as I wanted to be, and I just really wanted to go home…And that’s what we did. After a long day and despite not even bothering to stick around for “Ohio Is For Lovers”, Kyle and I left The Outpost and returned back to his place for Taco Bell and an episode of Dexter before bed. A perfect end to a perfect day!
So there you have it, the Hawthorne Heights Concert Recap! What did you guys think of Millstone’s album that I posted the link for? Have any of you had an experience similar to what I described when I saw Hawthorne Heights perform again? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Heyyy guys and TGIF! I’m actually prewriting this post before I leave for my boyfriend’s for the night because I won’t have a lot of time tomorrow to fill you in on the exciting day! My friends at Millstone will be the opening act for Hawthorne Heights’ show at The Outpost in Kent, Ohio and we’re all very excited! Make sure you check out my article about Millstone on http://www.lifewithlilred.com and enjoy this classic Hawthorne Heights emo kid anthem:
So yes, Millstone, a band who I’ve worked with and a band who Kyle knows very personally considering the lead singer is his best friend will be opening for my angsty teen favorite, Hawthorne Heights. I actually met the guys of HH when I was sixteen or so when they played at Musica in Akron and they were awesome. All of them were so sweet and genuine and I still have the pictures, my autographed Silence In Black and White album, and the guitar pick belonging to the lead singer, JT, to this day. Not only were they a joy to chat with, but they killed their set as well!
Kyle and I are both thrilled for our Millstone friends and we’re going to arrive at the venue early to help in any way we can, so we’re gonna have a busy day tomorrow! But fear not, I’ll be back for the usual Monday Update and Man Crush Monday segments, so make sure you tune back in with me on the twenty-eighth for more of the latest and greatest! Until then, what is everyone up to this weekend? Any concerts or big plans? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Helllooooo everyone and welcome to a very special article on lifewithlilred about a blossoming business in the Akron, Ohio area, Daffodil Blue Photography. Daffodil Blue is run by the lovely and talented Britta Michele and I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with her for some coffee and all of the details about her endeavors as a young businesswoman. Before Britta and I scheduled a time to meet up, I asked her to pick her all time favorite photos that she’s taken for a Photographer’s Choice segment. Put a face to the name with this pretty pic of Britta and then take a look at these sweet shots before reading the interview that I had such a blast conducting:
Lil Red: Alright! What made your Photographer’s Choice pictures your favorites? Let’s start with our little cupcake faced cutie!
Britta: Well, I’m pretty sure that that was her first cupcake, which was an awesome moment to photograph! This was taken at her second birthday party and I just think that this photo captures her personality so well. She looks so sweet but she definitely has some sass to her! I also like how the cupcake is all over her face, it’s so stinkin’ adorable!
LR: What about the second photo? They both look so happy!
B: They were! Baby Jameson loved the camera! I had so much fun photographing him and his mom, Ashley. I’m really glad that I was able to capture such sweet moments for her and her little one.
LR: Too cute! And now for the third and final Photographer’s Choice picture! What made you choose this photo as one of your faves?
B: These siblings were a blast to work with. I had a lot of props for them to play with, like bubbles and balloons, so they weren’t always paying attention to the camera – but it still made for some amazing shots! I really like this portrait because it shows how much love all three siblings have for each other and I’m happy to have been the one to capture it!
LR: So when I knew you, we were high schoolers in French class and you went by Brittany. How did we get to be called Britta and a photographer a few years later?
B: I decided to go by Britta because it’s a very rare name! I’ve never heard of it before and I think that it’s memorable. I want people to think of my name and go “Oh, Britta? She’s a photographer!” Photography has always been a passion of mine from a very young age. My cousin was a photographer who taught me everything that I know and she has been the inspiration for my work ever since.
LR: When did you take your first “real” photograph?
B: Oh gosh! When I was thirteen or so?
LR: Speaking of unique names, Daffodil Blue Photography is another one! What’s the story behind that?
B: Similar to my name, I wanted something that was different. I had seen “Moments By” and “Photographs By” countless times and that type of name could be run by anyone. I had played around with names and searched for different word pairings and then I started to think more in terms of things that I like. I love daffodils and blue is one of my favorite colors.
LR: So the name wasn’t something that came out of the blue? 😉
B: Nope! But I definitely wasn’t dead set on it. I kept going back and forth – I wanted it to have more meaning. It wasn’t until people began telling me how much they love the name Daffodil Blue that I began to love it too!
LR: As I browsed through your websites, I noticed that you do a lot of family shoots. Is that your favorite kind of shoot to do?
B: Yes! I love children and I can’t wait to have my own some day to photograph! When kids are involved, I always try to make it as fun as possible for them. I bring stuffed animals and just let them play. I always prefer to have action shots of children because they just can’t sit still! And the best thing is, even if there are photographs of them not looking at the camera, I have some tricks up my sleeve to edit them to make it appear that they are.
LR: From all of the shoots that you’ve done has there been a most memorable moment?
B: All of them are! There really isn’t just one. I do like to continue photographing beyond the session time my clients have signed up for because you can’t get everything that you want in the allotted time. The post session photos are usually of the kids just playing around – and that’s when you get the real smiles!
LR: As a photographer, it’s your job to create memories. Is there a specific shoot that you’re dying to do?
B: Wedding shoots! Weddings are just so magical. I love taking pictures of someone who looks so beautiful and happy. I want the couple to look at the photos twenty years from now and think, “Wow, look how amazing we look. Look how happy we look. We still are happy”.
LR: And now for the cliche interview question…Where do you see Daffodil Blue Photography one year from now?
B: Hopefully with a lot more people photographed – particularly some wedding shoots! I would love to travel and make Daffodil Blue a full time business rather than a part time hobby.
I had the absolute best time catching up with Britta and hearing all about Daffodil Blue Photography. With so many aspiring photographers out there, I asked her to grace us with some advice on how to make the best of a young business. Here’s what she had to say:
Don’t ever give up. Believe me, I wanted to so many times, especially because I was comparing myself to others so often. You have to learn from the people who have more experience than you, not compare yourself to them.
Have patience. I started Daffodil Blue at the beginning of last year and I’m just now gaining more and more clients.
Don’t charge what professionals are charging right away. Get a steady client base before you raise your prices but never go too cheap!!
Believe in yourself and don’t be afraid to reach out to people who might be interested in your business.
During our talk, I was shocked to learn that Britta had not named her Nikon camera! We decided on the very original “Nicki the Nikon” and here’s the facts about what makes her D3200 camera baby the perfect one for her:
Through extensive research, Britta came to the conclusion that Nikon was a bit better than Canon, which made her Nikon purchase a no brainer. “Canon is still a good brand but I would pick Nikon any day!”
Nicki the Nikon boasts 24 megapixels while the D3100 only has 12. However, I learned from my self taught photographer friend that it’s not the megapixels that matter, it’s what lens you use.
Britta is currently using the kit lens and is very happy with it. She told me that not many professional photographers would use that lens but that’s okay with her! Throughout our afternoon together, Britta mentioned frequently that just because she may not have the best equipment yet, it doesn’t mean that she can’t take an amazing picture! (However, Britta will be treating herself to a 50 mm. 1.8 G lens for her upcoming birthday!)
Shoot her an email: brittamichele@daffodilblue.net
Or a text: 330-209-0501
Guys, I’m not gonna lie, this was my favorite write up I’ve done yet. Britta is the real deal. She’s intelligent, creative, and has such evident talent that it’s palpable. We both thought that it would be fun if my readers took a look at her websites and chose their favorite photo to share with us! Until then, do you have any advice for Britta as she continues her work at Daffodil Blue? What is one of your favorite pictures that you’ve ever taken? We wanna hear from all of you, so leave us a comment and let’s chat! And please make sure to leave us a Reader’s Choice picture in the comments! Much love. -Sarah
Hi there everyone and happy Sunday! I hope all of you are having a great weekend! I thought we could take today to wrap up my posts about my vacation to Orlando, Florida with some more fun stories and cool pics! Take a look and let’s discuss:
Lil Red Vacation Pro Tips:
To go mugs of wine for the journey to your destination is always a must! To go further with that, it’s also a wise decision to eat a ton of Taco Bell in the car, take a sleeping pill, and snooze the drive away. Our excursion to Florida was made completely tolerable thanks to sleeping for thirteen of the eighteen hours! Best. Decision. EVER!
If you’re nice enough to the Hogwarts Express conductor, he’ll show you his pocket watch with “Hogsmeade” and “Diagon Alley” instead of numbers so he knows when the train is departing from each station.
Make sure you spend some extra time after the Minion Mayhem ride to get your picture taken with one of the silly little Despicable Me goofballs! I love them so much, so this was absolutely necessary.
Take a boat ride to the Portafino hotel resort and enjoy some pizza at Sal’s! My family and I did this one evening after a day at Universal Studios and it was so awesome. We ate our pizza and drank wine on their patio and we had a perfect view of the nightly fireworks show at the park.
When you get your nails done, know that it’s going to be extra money to get rhinestone decorations! WHOOPS. So worth it though! It was really nice to take an hour to get out of the heat and get some pampering done in a cute little salon in Orlando.
If you’re like me and don’t like getting your hair wet, it’s a good idea to wear a plastic poncho during the afternoon rain and water rides. My mom found a poncho from The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter crumpled up on the ground near the park lockers and stealthily snagged it. I’m so glad she did because this kept me and my beloved red locks totally dry! Score!
Always photograph your parents doing cute things. (See picture above!)
Park souvenirs are not always the way to go! My mom and I found minion socks, keychains, and magnets at Marc’s all for under a dollar and they looked exactly like the ones at Universal. Such a steal!
There’s nothing wrong with drinking a twenty-four ounce can of Redd’s Apple Ale on the car ride back to good ol’ Akron, Ohio.
There’s also nothing wrong with spooning with your mom during said car right. Uhhh…..
Most importantly, savor every moment of your vaca and relish in the things that you can’t normally do in your hometown. Last time I checked, Akron doesn’t have anything close to Universal Studios! 😉
So there you have it, some Lil Red Pro Tips to wrap up my Orlando vacation!! I seriously had the most amazing time during my Florida getaway but it sure feels great to be home! Did any of you guys go on vacation this summer? What was the best vaca you’ve ever been on? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hellooooo everyone and TGIF! As you guys know, I spent last week vacationing in Orlando, Florida with my family. A trip to a new city wouldn’t be complete without some shopping though!! Orlando is abuzz with a million and one different outlet malls so my mom and I spent our first night in Florida shopping. Classic Lil Red to want to shop as soon as we reach our vacation destination! At the outlets my mom and I only made it to two stores, Forever 21 and Loft, because we spent so much time in each. I got some gorgeous new additions to my wardrobe at each store, so take a look at my new finds from Forever 21 and make sure you tune in tomorrow for a peek at my Loft purchases!
^^^ SO CUTE!!!
When I’m on vaca, I would much prefer to get some new clothes as my souvenirs rather than some knick knacks that sit around and do nothing – so the outlet mall was the perfect place to pick up some mementos to remember my trip by! I am so in love with my new burnt orange and emerald green sweater dresses I just can’t even! Both of these pieces cost me less than forty dollars, which is the cost of an average clothing item at Universal Studios! I got a lot more bang for my buck and I am so ready for fall in Akron, Ohio so I can break out these adorable staples.
I’ve wanted a floor length cardi-dress for ages now and I am so happy that I found one in beautiful burnt orange, which is one of my favorite colors to wear! The great thing about this piece is that you can wear it alone as a dress or you can put it over leggings or jeans for a fresh fall look. I’m really excited to pair my cardi-dress with my army green heeled combat boots and a floppy hat for a look that screams “autumn”!
What I love about my emerald green sweater dress is how much it reminds me of Slytherin house from Harry Potter! The colors of the dress match the house colors to the T so if I want to be a sexy Slytherin girl for Halloween then I’m all set! Usually I’m pretty hesitant about sweater dresses like my new green one because I don’t like clothing that’s extremely tight BUT when I tried this little number on, I knew that I had to have it. I felt so confident in it and confidence is key, after all. The way the dress fit was superb. It hugged every curve to perfection and I love wearing any shade of green so this dress was a must. I plan on pairing this little beauty with sheer black tights and my cream colored Juicy Couture wedges for a night on the town outfit. (See “If The Shoe Fits – Juicy Couture Edition” for more!)
So there you have it, my Forever 21 Vacation Haul! I hope all of you are having an awesome Friday! What is everyone up to this weekend? Any fun plans? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Helloooo everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of the Monday Update – Vacation style! This past week my family and I made an eighteen hour trek from Akron, Ohio to Orlando, Florida for some fun at Universal Studios! I arrived home at three fifteen on Sunday morning and I’m still recovering from the drive home, but that’s just a small price to pay for a week of paradise. Because my family did so much on our vacation, this week on lifewithlilred is going to be a bit different…Every day I’ll be posting a new segment about my vaca complete with pictures and witty commentary. But for now, let me throw a few pics on here and we can talk about some of the amazing things that Universal Studios has to offer!
A year or so ago, a new edition was added onto The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter section of the amusement park – Diagon Alley. Previously, the Harry Potter park was limited to Hogsmeade and I must say, they really outdid themselves with both parks. The last time my family attended Universal, Diagon Alley was still in production so it was absolutely incredible to be able to experience the finished product, which can be seen in the first three pictures that I posted! You might notice in the pic of me in the telephone booth that I have a sign attached to the back of my shirt – this was an impromptu attempt at promoting lifewithlilred while exploring Universal Studios. Lol, anything for the sake of advertisement!
Anyways, back to Diagon Alley…It. Was. AWESOME. What was so cool about the newest addition to Universal Studios was how big it was! There were so many different twists and turns you could take throughout the park which lead to different shops, performances, and rides. Watch your step though, because you might end up in the dark and spooky Knockturn Alley, which was my favorite part of Diagon Alley. The execution of Knockturn Alley was exquisite…It captured the mood of the Dark Arts to perfection with pitch black corridors, singing shrunken heads, and wilted flowers adorning the windowsills. But the best part of Knockturn Alley was exploring Borgin & Burkes, a store for all of your Dark Arts needs.
Borgin & Burkes sold souvenirs, of course, but it also had tons of HP movie memorabilia, which included a Vanishing Cabinet made special for the park by the Potter prop masters. Stepping into Borgin & Burkes seriously felt like walking onto a Harry Potter movie set…that’s how authentic the creepy atmosphere was. The store was filled with “cursed” items that are easily recognizable from the books and movies, like the severed hand that closes itself onto you of you get too close! Borgin & Burkes was where I picked out a cool shirt for my sister donning the killing curse in ink and quill script…AVADA KEDAVRA!
If you’re looking to spend some moolah in Diagon Alley, then you can drop forty-eight bucks on a wand that let’s you interact with the park. In all of the windows of Diagon Alley, there are displays which will move with just a flick of your wrist. All you have to do is stand on the designated spot in front of the window, which is marked on the ground, and put your wand to use. I can imagine that there is some type of chip in the wand that activates the window displays which can be anything from making troll armor move to lighting up all of the candles in a window and blowing them out again. The interactive windows were a brilliant way of letting the park goers experience some magic and it was definitely cool to see what each display had to offer. I didn’t buy a wand because I got a lowtech one during my last trip, so I was a bit jealous of everyone who had one!
There’s a lot more to discuss about Diagon Alley, which will be saved for another article, so make sure you keep it posted on http://www.lifewithlilred.com to learn more about The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter! Until then, who has been to Universal Studios before? What was your favorite part of the park? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Heyy everyone and happy Monday! Sorry that I was MIA this weekend – I was pretty busy with school and reuniting with some of my old tried and true favorite friends. Because of these fabulous hang outs I had an awesome weekend despite one unfortunate encounter! Let’s discuss.
Friday night was absolute perfection minus throwing up for a half hour in my front yard. My darling boy, Seth, took me out for a night of drinking frivolities and heart to hearts. After a bottle of wine and four vodka sours it’s safe to say that Lil Red got white girl wasted! Seth took really good care of a bitch and was such a trooper the entire night, even when I was super sloppy. He’s handsome and kind and a real keeper – especially considering that he had to witness me puking my brains out and made sure that I got in the house okay instead of peaceing out. Seth and I have known each other for over six years now and he still manages to blow me away when I see him. What a guy! Lucky me! 🙂
^^^ That picture was from the last time we hung out for my birthday! Isn’t he such a cutie?
On Saturday I woke up with the worst hangover in the history of ever, so I spent a lot of the morning and afternoon laying in bed and being miserable. But I had to get up eventually because my beloved basic ass Pantech phone decided to completely stop working. After making myself presentable and eating half of my weight in carbs, my mom and I headed to the Verizon store to get me a new cellie. I’m very anti smart phone simply for the fact that it saves money by not having one so I just went with the basic ass Cosmos to replace my basic ass Pantech. I can text and make phone calls on my new phone and that’s all that really matters to me!
My day on Saturday was going pretty well despite my lingering headache and constant cotton mouth. However, a run in with my ex best friend at Starbucks made my evening kind of sucky f0r three minutes. (I got over it pretty quickly!) It was just very awkward and when I saw her I wanted nothing to do with her – so I guess that’s how you know a friendship is over. After that little run in happened, I decided that I wanted to take advantage of one of my dear friends’ offer to go out with him that night. I met up with one of my favorite ex-coworkers in the world, Nick. Him and I go way back from the time I was sixteen and first starting at PacSun and we’ve been friends ever since. Even though I was really tired I made it out to a bar in Akron that his roommate works at and we had a terrific time! This was our first time going out together where I could drink legally so it was an exciting milestone in our friendship! After a drink or two and a lot of laughing about morbid, vulgar, and completely off putting subjects I called it a night and went home. Being able to hang out with my sweet Nick made going out even though I was exhausted completely worth it!
^^^ #babes
I’ve had such a blast rekindling relationships with people who I haven’t seen in forever. By losing one friend I gained a lot more and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve had a lot of really great people fill my time this summer and I wouldn’t change one thing! So here’s to the Old Faithfuls – my tried and true friends who have been there for me in the long run. I love and appreciate all of you so much! ❤
I hope that all of you had a good weekend and a wonderful start to your week! What was everyone up to these past few days? Anything exciting? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Whatsup everyone and TGIF! So for the past two or so weeks I’ve been dedicated to listening to the 7952 songs on my iPod on shuffle in its entirety. I’m five hundred songs in and it has been an absolute blast so far. I’ve rediscovered a love for some long forgotten songs and stumbled upon music that I didn’t even know I had. Here’s a few of the highlights of my shuffle journey so far:
Breathe Carolina – Velvet: Flippin judge me for it. This song came on yesterday when I was in the Little Red Love Machine and I was SO excited about it. Hearing “Velvet” brought me back to my angsty teenage days so I guess it only seemed appropriate that an angsty twenty-one year old played it four times in a row. I don’t care what anyone says, this song is catchy as hell.
The Front Bottoms – Maps: I’ve always adored The Front Bottoms. I think that their sound is so unique and their lyrics speak to my soul – all of them are so raw and nitty gritty and I really dig that. “Maps” actually came on after my binge listening fest of “Velvet” so the shuffle gods were definitely smiling upon me. I would really like to see these guys in concert but for now I’ll just fan girl over the music video which is actually pretty rad. ONE DAY YOU’LL BE WASHING YOURSELF WITH HAND SOAP IN A PUBLIC BATHROOM!!!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Buried Alive (Ft. Dr. Octagon): First things first, I’m a big Yeah Yeah Yeahs fan so I was simply thrilled when “Buried Alive” came on as I was getting ready for the day this morning. Karen O’s voice is intoxicating as usual and Dr. Octagon gives a really unexpected and cool touch to the song. It’s seriously a perfect collaboration and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love it. I hope that these two powerhouses do another collab in the future because I think they were really on to something with this track.
Missy Elliott – Get Ur Freak On: I have a wide range of favorite songs from different genres and “Get Ur Freak On” is definitely one of my hip hop favorites. Missy Elliott can do no wrong in my opinion and her and Timbaland are a creative match made in heaven. My day has been full of great music so far because this track came on as I was looking over some math homework and I legitimately had to stop my studies so I could enjoy “Get Ur Freak On” in all of its glory from my humble iPod. I’m not the biggest music video fan but the video for this song is always fun to watch!
The Black Keys – Your Touch: I didn’t care too much for The Black Keys’ album Magic Potion but I really enjoy this track. There’s nothing better than when a song comes on by the Akron, Ohio duo who hit the big time fresh out of my neck of the woods. It’s so wild to think that they used to play at small venues like Musica in Akron and now they’re winning Grammys and doing the damn thing. #RESPECT!!!
The Dead Weather – 60 Feet Tall: A shout out to a song by The Dead Weather wouldn’t be complete without expressing my love for Jack White, so here it goes: Jack White, you beautiful man, I love you SO MUCH. Anyways, I am so glad that The Dead Weather exists because it might just be one of my favorite musical endeavors by Mr. White. Not only is my dream man in the band but I’ve also always adored Alison Mosshart because I’m a big fan of The Kills. I seriously can’t get enough of her sexy bluesy voice – it’s the definition of perfection. I hate using the word “cool” to describe a band but The Dead Weather is the epitome of a cool as hell rock n’ roll group. I enjoy literally every song by them and “60 Feet Tall” is obviously no exception! So SO good.
We Are Scientists – Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt: I used to really like We Are Scientists until I introduced them to my evil ex-boyfriend who cheated on me with a stripper – but that’s neither here nor there. ANYWAYS, after the discovery was made that he was an asshole, I wasn’t in the mood to hear We Are Scientists anymore. I’ve kept them on my iPod for whatever reason and “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” came on a few days ago. Hearing this wicked good track for the first time in years made me remember why I liked We Are Scientists so much in the first place. My love for them definitely was rekindled thanks to the power of the iTunes Shuffle Challenge!
Gorillaz – Dirty Harry: My journey through shuffle-land has been so musically rewarding thus far and one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had was when “Dirty Harry” came on. This song played in the early days of the challenge and I just remember being so happy when I heard the unmistakable intro to the track as I was driving in the Little Red Love Machine. It was a gorgeous sunny day and I had the windows down and my music playing at the loudest possible volume…It was perfect. There’s something about this song that makes me feel so genuinely good, probably because it holds a lot of sentimental value for me. I used to play “Dirty Harry” a lot to hype me up for skating competitions or auditions and it always worked like a charm. This track and I go way back and it will forever be one of my favorites.
So there you have it, the best of the best of my iTunes Shuffle Challenge so far! How many songs do you have on your iTunes? What do you think about starting a shuffle challenge of your own? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Helloooo everyone and happy Monday!!! I had lots of fun celebrating the Fourth Of July this weekend and I hope all of you had a great time doing whatever it is that you did! My sister Kristen and I met up with our friends in Akron at Locke 3 to get our drink on and watch the fireworks. We walked around all of the different food trucks and activities and began our evening of drinking compliments of all of the beer stands! Once we assembled everyone who was invited we headed over to the bar and restaurant the Lockeview to sit on their rooftop patio, drink some more, and wait for the fireworks to start.
^^^ I had to!
The rooftop patio at the Lockeview was so perfect and all of the drinks that they had to offer were delicious and very moderately priced. While walking around the outdoor area everyone in the group was drinking beer and I decided to stick with that at the Lockeview. I had this super incredible raspberry beer that didn’t even taste like beer – we all agreed it tasted like drinking pop. After hanging around the patio for an hour or so it got dark enough outside for the fireworks to start. We had the best view of anyone who came to the event from the rooftop! The fireworks were awesome and they lasted for about fifteen minutes, which was a lot longer than I expected. I never really understood the fuss of celebrating the Fourth Of July before I turned twenty-one – but I can definitely see why people get into it after having my first legal drinking age experience!
After the fireworks show, Kristen and I stuck around for another half hour or so and then decided to head home. We had quite a bit of a walk from the Lockeview back to the parking garage and by the time we fought through the crowd of celebrators and got back to our car we both had to pee so bad. We should have went to the bathroom before we left but the line at the Lockeview was pretty long and we figured that we would be fine…We were dead wrong. The drive home was miserable and we both felt like we were going to explode but that didn’t stop us from getting Taco Bell! The line at the drive thru was surprisingly really short so we were able to get our burritos in record time, arrive back at home, AND PEE! #AMERICA
Kristen and I both had a blast getting our Fourth of July on. It was a much better time than what I was expecting so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I didn’t want to leave the festivities. We would have stayed much later but Kristen had to be at work early the following day – but that’s okay! There’s always next year! 😉 I hope that all of you had a wonderful weekend and a great start to your Monday! What is everyone up to this week? Any exciting plans? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
lifewithlilred 