Tag Archives: blossom music center

Sep19

“Weird Al”: Bigger & Weirder Concert

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“Weird Al”: Bigger & Weirder Concert

Hello! “Weird Al” Yankovic is a beloved favorite to me, Johnny, and my big brother Andrew and has been since childhood. Whenever he comes to the greater Akron area, it is an absolute must for us to see him and we were lucky enough to be at his Bigger & Weirder tour at Blossom Music Center this past Saturday. This is the third time I have seen “Weird Al” live and this was my favorite show, hands down. His opening act, Puddles Pity Party, was hilarious and Al’s set was a celebration of all of the fun and laughter he has gifted to the world for so many years. I’m still on cloud nine from it! Let’s discuss further:

Our night at Blossom began with the traditional long journey from the parking lot to the venue. Once we arrived, we had time to snag some shirts and make our way to a good spot. At Blossom you can either be in the pavilion or posted up on the lawn. I always like to go to the barricades that separate the two areas for the best view and we got ourselves a spot there smack dab in the middle. It was perfect! By the time we were settled, it was about seven fifteen and Puddles Pity Party promptly took the stage at seven thirty. We had no idea who or what this act was going to be but were hooked as soon as he made his entrance.

Puddles Pity Party is a one man show where he is dressed as a clown and sings the most gorgeous operatic music you will ever hear. It is such a strange juxtaposition but it works so very well. His performance also included excellent media including a “Cry Cam” and a moving montage of Kevin Costner as Puddles belted My Heart Will Go On. His set featured renditions of Come Cry With Me, Crazy Train, and Estoy Sentado Aqui. Our favorite had to have been Let’s Give ‘Em Pumpkin To Talk About because funnily enough, I just purchased wall art with the exact same sentiments! He was such a fabulous opener for “Weird Al” and when we got home, Johnny and I watched Puddles Pity Party perform on America’s Got Talent. It was so crazy to watch that when we literally had just laughed and cried with him!

After Puddles Pity Party got us all warmed up, we were ready for the big show and “Weird Al” didn’t disappoint. In fact, he played SO. Many. of our personal favorite songs that it felt like he made the set list exclusively for us. He opened with Tacky which was really cool because that’s what he started the show with the first time we saw him live. From there, he continued to deliver heavy hitters like Fat, Eat It, Dare to Be Stupid, eBay, Everything You Know Is Wrong, Like a Surgeon, Word Crimes, and so much more. His performance was high energy and everyone in the crowd was laughing, dancing, and singing our hearts out. It was the most amazing night and we still can’t quite believe we got to be there and hear a set that felt like we planned it. ❤

If “Weird Al” ever comes to your area, seeing him live is a complete must. I can’t wait for him to return to Akron so I can experience the magic for the fourth time!

What is your favorite “Weird Al” song? What was the last concert you went to? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun29

Bob Dylan & Willie Nelson Concert

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Bob Dylan & Willie Nelson Concert

Howdy!! This past weekend, Johnny and I checked off another concert on our summer lineup list. It was Outlaw Fest at Blossom Music Center and Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson were performing. We were supposed to see Willie Nelson at Blossom during the pandemic and had to skip on it so we were so happy to have been able to make up for it. I mean… kind of? Because the night definitely didn’t go accordingly to plan and it was basically one of the wildest nights out I’ve had since the after party at our wedding lol. Take a look at some pics that I don’t even remember a random stranger taking and let’s discuss:

Like any big event, the concession prices at Blossom are absolutely insane. To remedy that, literally everyone going to a show there pregames in a great big parking lot tailgate. Johnny and I got to the show with about an hour to kill, White Claw ready to go, and we posted up in the trunk of our car to sip away. As we were having our trunk time, a young couple who went with family across the way approached us to talk about our tattoos and they became our instant BFFs. We were chatting up a storm and, eventually, the entire family joined us. They were absolutely hilarious and we spent our pregame in stitches together. We were having so much fun that I don’t think any of us noticed we were all getting a fair bit tipsy.

Once we all felt good and ready to head into the venue, we did so as a team and found a nice, shady spot to watch from. We couldn’t see anyone on the stage, but we could hear the music and that was perfectly fine. Besides, Johnny and I were DEEPLY invested in conversation at this point. You guys, I kid you not, Johnny and I held individual sidebars with every single member of the family. Lol, they came to us with their complaints, we essentially gave them the “you have to get your ish together” motivational speech and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the mother’s daughter’s boyfriend would get a job and a license. We stepped into our roles as therapist beautifully and hope for nothing but the best!

Once Johnny and I had our fill of other people’s problems, I REALLY needed the bathroom so he waited for me while I did my thang. When I emerged from the facilities, I found Johnny standing there with two mixed drinks that featured a commemorative plastic pink cowboy hat. Lol he just couldn’t help himself! At this point, I was gone to the wind (Johnny was responsible because he was driving!) and we broke free from the family therapy session. We had been outside in ninety plus degree temps for close to four hours, Willie Nelson was going to be on soon, and we wanted to be able to fully enjoy it.

From what I recall and the poorly shot videos on my phone, both Willie and Bob tore it up. Those senior citizens still sound great!! Also, I was a little busy while Willie was playing because I ended up somehow with a new job perspective lol? One of the people we were standing by needed some social media assistance and we exchanged information! The night just kept getting better and better and I joked that Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan were simply our background music for the evening. By the time the show was over, we were totally and completely beat but it was so worth it for a whole lot of fun!

When we drove to the concert, we were not expecting for our night to transpire the way it did. It was, however, a memory (Or lack thereof!) for the ages!!

What is the craziest night out you have ever had? Are you going to any concerts this summer? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun14

New & Improved Concert Lineup

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New & Improved Concert Lineup

Hello!! During the pandemic, Johnny and I had a plethora of concerts that we were going to attend but, sadly, couldn’t. One of the most painful losses was easily not seeing My Chemical Romance for their reunion tour and I am still Not Okay about it! While it was a bummer to forego all of these shows and experiences and basically eat my money, I am so happy that Johnny and I are making up for it this summer. We have already seen AC/DC and will be seeing Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson next weekend and Weird Al in September. But wait! There’s more!!

For my birthday, I was surprised by not one but two sets of tickets. For my gift, Johnny ordered us two tickets to see The Struts for their tenth anniversary tour at the House of Blues. We are avid fans of The Struts and to make it even better, they are playing at my favorite venue! I have seen countless shows at the House of Blues and they have always been some of my favorite concerts. It is a smaller venue and gives you the opportunity to get up close and personal with the stage. It makes for such an exciting evening and being in such close proximity to your favorite musicians is intoxicating. I have been dropping helpful hints that I would love to see The Struts since I learned that they were coming to Cleveland and I am so happy Johnny caught on. 😀

Not only did Johnny gift me with concert tickets, but my beloved big sis did too. We recently learned that Lil Wayne was coming to Blossom Music Center and I let Kristen know but we didn’t do anything with that information. This was okay because I actually saw Lil Wayne at Blossom Music Center when I was a teenager (I definitely sneaked out to see that show!). I had kind of forgotten about his upcoming show because I assumed we weren’t going. Then, Kristen texted me with the most beautiful sentiment I ever read on my birthday: “Do you have tickets to Lil Wayne?” I was on cloud nine and Kristen, my brother-in-law, and I will have a banner night on the town. So nice, I’ll see him twice and I can’t wait for my belated birthday outing!

This was a musical birthday, indeed, and I am so excited to make so many amazing concert memories this summer with all of my favorite people!

Are you going to any concerts this summer? Who would you love to see live? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May16

Can’t Wait!!!

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Can’t Wait!!!

Hello!! During the pandemic, Johnny and I had tickets to several concerts that we could no longer attend. We were going to go to Riot Fest for the My Chemical Romance reunion and that hurt deeply. We also had tickets to see Willie Nelson at Blossom Music Center and that fell through too. It was all extremely disappointing, to say the least. However, I am thrilled to say that we have an excellent concert lineup for this summer and the festivities are going to be starting very soon because…

WE ARE GOING TO SEE AC/DC AT THE END OF THE MONTH!!!!

Johnny and I don’t merely celebrate birthdays, but a birthaversary. His birthday is June first, mine is the seventh, and we got married on the fourth. So, when this momentous occasion happens – we do it big! My husband has wanted to see AC/DC live since he was just a little guy and when we found out they were coming to Cleveland, I had to make it happen. We will be in the nosebleeds and that is A-okay because we are going to be there!! Since the beginning of May, I must have heard Johnny say how excited he is at least one hundred times and it never gets old. We have been listening to ALL of the AC/DC even more so than usual and I can’t believe the big show is only a few weeks away since I purchased the tickets forever ago. It’s going to be so special to have this experience with him and I wish it would just hurry up and get here! 😀

Not only do we have AC/DC on our roster but we are also going to be seeing Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan for Outlaw Fest as well as Weird Al, both taking place at Blossom Music Center. We will finally be making good on seeing Willie Nelson together and this will be mine and my brother’s third time being blessed by Weird Al. Blossom has gifted us with an amazing lineup this year and I am chomping at the bit to fill mine and Johnny’s summer concert series even more. Ghost will be coming to Cleveland as well as The Struts and we would absolutely love to see them too. Needless to say, my honey and I are going to be living it up this summer! ❤

So many concerts, so little time and I am so excited to be able to share them with all of you!!

Are you going to any concerts this summer? What is the best concert you have ever been to? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep2

Alice Cooper Concert

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Alice Cooper Concert

Howdy! Last Wednesday was one of the best nights ever because Johnny and I got to see Alice Cooper at Blossom Music Center. It was the most fantastic time and we both still can’t believe that we actually got to see him live. It always feels a bit surreal to see an artist you love in real life but this concert definitely hit different. We have talked about it every day since! Even though we were seated at the back of the pavilion, we had a pretty good view of the stage. I took tons of pictures and videos and just had to share some of them with all of you! Check it out:

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As you can see, this was quite the production indeed! I have never been to a concert that felt like I was watching live theater too but that’s Alice Cooper for you! Every new song played was like a set change and it was so cool to see the stage transform before our eyes. There were amazing lights, projections, props, snakes, and sets which is such a far cry from any other concert I’ve seen before as the production value is limited to what can be done with lighting. Our favorite part has got to be when a giant Frankenstein lumbered about the stage during Feed My Frankenstein. We also loved when Alice Cooper entered the stage on a parade float for Elected. What really took the cake, though, was seeing a tried and true staple at an Alice Cooper concert: When his wife dressed as Marie Antoinette “beheaded” her husband on a guillotine!

The set list included lots of fan favorites including No More Mr. Nice Guy, Hey Stoopid, Snakebite (Complete with snake!), Go To Hell, and Poison. As I suspected, the show ended with a huge blow out production of School’s Out. It also included parts of Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2, which was a nice touch. During School’s Out, there was confetti everywhere and the biggest balloons I had ever seen going haywire. When the balloons got close to the stage, Alice Cooper would pop them with his cane and more confetti went flying. My only disappointment about the set list was that Black Widow in its entirety wasn’t played. However, the intro was performed and we got to see a projection of Vincent Price so that was the tops. 🙂

This was, easily, one of the best shows Johnny and I have been to and we are elated to have checked Alice Cooper off of our concert bucket list. If he is coming to your neck of the woods, it is a must go!

What is your favorite Alice Cooper song? Are you going to any concerts soon? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep1

Best Date Night EVER!!!!

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Best Date Night EVER!!!!

Hello!! This past Wednesday was the absolute best because Johnny and I had a night on the town. We literally never do anything during the work week because of our demanding schedules. However, sometimes exceptions need to be made and that came in the form of an Alice Cooper concert at Blossom Music Center. This is the second concert I have attended there in the past month and I am so happy that Johnny and I were able to make this date night work. This show was our very first concert together! I will post tons of pics tomorrow, but would love to discuss our experience today. Let’s get to it:

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Johnny and I are HUGE Alice Cooper fans and when we learned that he was performing at a venue ten minutes away from our apartment, we just had to go. We spent all of Wednesday willing the day to go by faster so we could get our Alice on and made our way to the venue around 5:30. The show started at six and the opening act, Ministry, was already playing by the time we got there. This was no harm no foul because we didn’t care at all lol. As the opener played, Johnny and I purchased drinks and had to make a pit stop so he could use the little rock star’s room. This ended up being an awesome detour, indeed!

While Johnny was in the facilities, I sat at a picnic bench with a mom and her daughter who was my age. We got to chatting and Didn’t. Stop. Chatting. Johnny and I spent the majority of our time getting to know our new friends who were freaking hilarious. In fact, we were so deep in our conversations and belly laughs that we didn’t even realize the second performer, Rob Zombie, had taken the stage. I genuinely thought music was just being played through the speakers. I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed not to have watched Rob Zombie’s set because I have never seen him live before. I had the opportunity to at another show but left before he went on. In a way, though, this was also no harm no foul. I can’t imagine the set was anything to write home about considering we had no idea it was even happening lolol.

As we continued with our newfound comradery, Alice Cooper finally began his performance. We said quick goodbyes and are very much looking forward to hanging out with them again. Johnny and I hauled ass to our seats in the pavilion and were treated to the show of a lifetime. Alice Cooper’s set was honestly like watching a horror movie unfold onstage. We were well aware of his usual tricks and gimmicks but to see them live before our very eyes was pure magic. He sounded amazing, the band was phenomenal, and the production value was equivalent to watching theater. A complete and total dream come true.

Alice Cooper played for roughly an hour and my only regret was that the show wasn’t longer! The concert ended with a rousing performance of School’s Out and it was so celebratory and fun. After the song ended, Johnny and I started making our long trek back to the car. We knew that if an encore was performed that we would still be able to hear it as we walked and we were not trying to be stuck in traffic for hours on end to get home. It took about twenty minutes to get back to the Little Red Love Machine and there was no encore to be heard. Once we were safely settled in my whip, we saw a massive throng of concert goers making their way to their cars too. We were well ahead in that race and got out of the venue and home within ten minutes flat. That’s what I’m talking about!

Johnny and I are still pinching ourselves that we actually saw Alice Cooper live and I can’t wait to share more from the show tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Who would you like to see in concert? What was the best concert you attended? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug12

AFI Concert

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AFI Concert

Hello!!! As you all know, I very rarely do much of anything that isn’t work related during the week days. My schedule is always crazy and I like to be well rested every day so I can do my best. However, sometimes exceptions need to be made because all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy! This past Wednesday, I enjoyed the most amazing sister’s night out with Kristen to see AFI and 30 Seconds To Mars at Blossom Music Center. We scored fantastic seats in the pavilion, had a perfect view of the stage, and spent the evening living our best lives together. Check it out:

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Kristen and I were not interested in seeing the two opening acts, KennyHoopla and Poppy because we never heard of them and frankly didn’t care. We arrived right when Poppy was finishing their set and they actually sounded really good so we are both going to be looking into that! Very shortly after we settled into our seats, AFI entered the stage and we were so happy to have gotten there right in the knick of time. We haven’t seen AFI in seven years since they played at the House of Blues and we didn’t want to miss a minute of it.

The show opened with Girls Not Grey and when I say Kristen and I lost our shit, I mean we literally lost our shit lol. We were going absolutely crazy singing our lungs out and dancing like no one was watching. We were both huffing and puffing after three songs and needed to take a breather and it turns out people were watching! The concertgoers sitting behind us apparently were deciding amongst themselves if we were sisters or not and one of the ladies was so triumphant because she called it. Kristen and I often get told we don’t look alike at all but that’s simply not true. Our style might be polar opposites but our faces are incredibly similar. The reasoning behind this gal’s educated guess was so sweet – she told us we were dancing exactly alike. ❤

AFI’s set included tons of crowd pleasers like Miss Murder, Love Like Winter, I Hope You Suffer, and Beautiful Thieves. Kristen and I were both elated that the show closed with our all time favorite of Silver And Cold! AFI sounded amazing from beginning to end and were just as good, if not better, than when we saw them almost a decade ago. Our only regret was that their set wasn’t longer. They played for roughly forty-five minutes or so with no encore and it just wasn’t enough. AFI was the reason we were going out to begin with and in my perfect world they would have played all night.

30 Seconds To Mars took the stage at nine o’clock and Kristen and I both agreed on leaving after thirty minutes to avoid traffic. We left after twenty minutes because they lightweight sucked lol. Neither of us are 30 Seconds fans but we were willing to see what the performance was going to be like and even stick around longer if we wanted to. It was cool to see Jared Leto in the flesh and I definitely made the joke of “Do a scene from Dallas Buyers Club” several times. However, their music was kind of lame, was basically just saying “woah” a ton, and we had no desire to stand there any longer. Jared did a lot of talking and in the twenty minutes that it took to walk back to our car, he was still talking. We were both so not mad about dipping out early!

Kristen and I were exhausted the following day but that is a small price to pay for a sister’s night on the town. I loved every minute of our time together with my best friend!

What was the last concert you saw? Who would you like to see live? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul23

Marilyn Manson Concert At Blossom Music Center

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Marilyn Manson Concert At Blossom Music Center

Hiii everyone and happy Monday! Last week, I got to see Marilyn Manson in concert for the second time in less than one year. Our hometown hero was performing at Blossom Music Center with Rob Zombie for the Twins Of Evil tour. It was not an option to not go, even though Blossom isn’t one of my favorite venues so my sister, Kristen, and I made our happy way to the show and everything started out just fine until…

MY FAVORITE PLATFORMS BROKE WHILE WALKING INTO BLOSSOM!!!

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There is literally nothing worse than looking all kinds of trashy when walking into a concert with bare feet and your tail between your legs, but what can you do? Lol, anyways, because Kristen and I pre-gamed and Ubered to the show, Marilyn Manson began performing moments after we found a good spot to post up at on the lawn.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Blossom, it’s an outdoor venue with a pavilion and a huge lawn as your seating options. Being seated in the pavilion is expensive, but you can see the stage. Meanwhile, the lawn is dirt cheap, but you can’t see shit and taking pictures or videos won’t do you a lick of good. Because Kristen and I were so spoiled with front row spots during the last show we saw Marilyn Manson at, our twenty buck lawn seats were just fine.

In all honesty, the show was quite disappointing. Granted, we couldn’t see anything without the mega screens, but there were some other issues that spoiled the fun, too. First of all, the set list, which will be discussed in a moment was short. We’re talking twelve songs and then off the stage for good short. And second, the crowd was just not feeling it, and that was shocking to me – especially considering that Marilyn Manson’s home town was literally fifteen minutes away from where we were. All of these circumstances together created a really lackluster vibe, and it was a bummer to be in an audience that wasn’t welcoming back Ohio’s finest like the royalty he is.

Now, the set list was okay, but it did leave a lot to be desired. The majority of his picks were crowd pleasers like mOBSCENE, This Is The New Shit, Disposable Teens, Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This), The Beautiful People, and The Dope Show. He also added in fan favorites from his most recent album, Heaven Upside Down, with Kill4Me and Say10. With over seventy-five percent of the set list being made up of his most popular hits, the crowd should have been going nuts, and it just wasn’t happening.

The remaining tracks that he performed was his encore of his new remake of Cry Little Sister, which was fabulous, and Irresponsible Hate Anthem (Which he opened with.), Angel With The Scabbed Wings, and Antichrist Superstar. As I said, there was a lot to be desired.

After Marilyn Manson finished up, Kristen and I decided that we had no desire to see Rob Zombie perform, so we called an Uber and headed home. Overall, it was a fun night and I am so happy to have seen one of my favorite artists for the second time. But, nothing will ever compare to seeing him front and center for the first time at Stage AE!

What concerts have you been to this summer? Do you have a venue similar to Blossom in your area? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul22

Northeast Ohio Rocks Pt. 2

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Northeast Ohio Rocks Pt. 2

Howdy everyone and happy Sunday! If you can remember back to a post I made in April, I discussed a really cool local tradition called Northeast Ohio Rocks. The idea is that you paint or Sharpie a rock as you see fit and then hide it somewhere in public where a stranger can find it. Then, you do what you will with your surprise on social media and rehide the rock for the next lucky person to find. It’s such a fun community program and people have had get togethers at their homes or local meeting centers to create more rocks to hide around Northeast Ohio.

At a Green Day concert at Blossom Music Center last year, I found a solar eclipse themed rock hanging around by the entrance. I felt so lucky to have stumbled upon such a beautiful creation and vowed to give the magic back in due time. I thought that it only seemed appropriate to return the rock to the location that I found it at last summer and that moment finally came last week when I saw Marilyn Manson perform at Blossom.

We’ll chit chat about the show tomorrow, but I wanted to follow up on the post that I made in April to let everyone know that I kept my promise to bring the rock back to its original location. I wrote my web address on the back of my Northeast Ohio Rock, so hopefully whoever found it will come to my page to let me know that their surprise was received!

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Does your area have a similar program to Northeast Ohio Rocks? Would you ever like to start a local tradition? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr16

Northeast Ohio Rocks

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Hi everyone and welcome to a new week here on lifewithlilred! So there’s this super cool thing in my neck of the woods called Northeast Ohio Rocks. It’s literally people painting rocks and then hiding them all over popular areas so that others can find them. It’s like a grown up Easter egg hunt. And, once you find a rock, you are encouraged to take a picture of it, post it on their Facebook page, and rehide it so that someone else can find it.

I have to admit that I kind of missed the mark on rehiding the rock that I found – but it’s just so darn pretty that I had to keep it around for a spell. Take a look:

I found this rock at Blossom Music Center when I saw Green Day there last August. My sister and I were waiting to enter the venue, and it just happened to be sitting on the stone made fence that was lining the foliage. I felt so lucky to have found my Northeast Ohio Rock, because 1) It’s really cool looking and 2) It was themed around the solar eclipse that happened the previous day. It was a great find and it was like getting a huge hug from a stranger.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve wanted to rehide this rock for a long time. But, I just haven’t found the perfect place for it. Until now. As luck would have it, I will be back at Blossom this July to see Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, and I plan on putting it back where it was found almost exactly a year ago.

I was so happy to have had such a beautiful creation tucked safely in my pocket for the duration of the Green Day concert, and now someone can experience that same excited feeling that comes with a lucky find for the Marilyn Manson show. It might have taken me a long time to get to rehiding my rock, but I’m happy with my plan and can’t wait to put it into action!

Does your area do something similar to Northeast Ohio Rocks? Would you ever incorporate something like this into your neck of the woods? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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