The Avett Brothers

First things first, if you don't know who The Avett Brothers are I highly suggest you go find out right now because YOU are missing out.

Amazing.

So after watching that you are no doubt in love with them.  I know when I found them I could not get enough.  I even shared their awesomeness with Kyle and he likes them too.  We've been listening to them for maybe 2-2.5 years now and just this past Thursday we finally saw them live. My mind was BLOWN.  They're one of the most amazing live bands I've ever seen.  Driving all the way to Richmond, Virginia (which isn't really that far) was so worth it.

Waiting in anticipation.

These guys are so good like seriously so good.  I was just about in tears while they were playing because it made my heart so so so happy to hear them play.  They interacted with the crowd and they are just so talented. They even had this rockin' cellist that jumped around on stage while playing it was amazeballs.

This guy loves the cello.

These two...

I'm in love with them both.

I'll apologize now for picture quality.  I'm no photographer and I took them with my phone while moving to get a "good" angle.  I'm happy with them though and I pretty much don't even care about the pictures because I saw them live and it was awesome!  

Kyle and I finally took a picture together.

So I hope you are now also in love with The Avett Brothers and if you're not I guess I can't make you love them.  Happy Sunday!

Netflixing

I've recently gotten into the habit of looking at theBerry semi-religiously.  This isn't the first time this has happened and it probably isn't the last.  I have a nice habit of being somewhat internet free for awhile and then I go on a binge where I look at tons and tons and tons of photo galleries on the internet.  My favorite websites include:

theBerry

BuzzFeed

9gag

theChive

and sometimes Yahoo!

But my internet addiction is not why we are here today.  Today I'd like to talk about "Netflixing" a word I found by looking at a post on theBerry.

I need this.

Before today I was unaware that there was a word for binge watching on Netflix.  Now I'm more enlightened and I will admit that I am indeed a Netflixer.  I don't actually have a Netflix subscription but when I'm at my apartment in State College we use Kyle's parents subscription (they are saints). I don't use Netflix all that much but when I do I go hard.  It's usually the result of me being jealous about how Kyle has friends and I'm completely anti-social but that's another story.  

Anyhow, when I turn on Netflix you can count on me watching one movie and at least 10 episodes of a show.  One day I watched 2 seasons of Arrested Development in one sitting.  Netflix kindly reminded me multiple times that I should probably get up and do something instead of sitting on my couch and eating a whole bag of Doritos while wishing Jason Bateman was my boyfriend (sorry Kyle).

So I'd like to compile a list of TV shows I'd love to be Netflixing the crap out of right this second:

Arrested Development - Okay so I started this one but I never finished it

The Big Bang Theory - Kyle totally got me hooked on this show

Parks and Rec - I also started this one but should definitely go back and finish it. I love me some Aziz Ansari

The Office - Such a good show.  Also I wish I were Pam.

Orange is the New Black - This show looks so good.

Wilfred - Every time I catch an episode I laugh so I should probably watch every episode. Right?

Weeds - I've heard good things. I enjoyed the pilot.  I need to watch it.

Breaking Bad - See above.

Firefly - Nathan Fillion, will you marry me?

I'm sure there are more, I'm not really familiar with all that Netflix has to offer.  Also if any of these shows aren't offered please excuse me for my ignorance.

Happy Wednesday!

Carlo's Bake Shop

So here's the post you've all been waiting for (if you've been following my life for the past few days).  Last Saturday on our way home from Wildwood Kyle and I stopped at Carlo's Bake Shop.  If you don't know what Carlo's is you have a problem and I weep for you.

Heaven on Earth

I was so excited to be there.  When we got there the line was a bit overwhelming and I almost said to Kyle "You know what forget it".  I was just happy to see it.  I was so overcome with emotions about being there that I didn't need to buy anything.  But, I didn't say a word and we waited in line for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Thank god I kept my mouth shut because it was well worth the wait.

The line

So we waited and waited and waited.  At one point this adorable guy from Fran's Deli came around with menus and told us about the deal we could score on sandwiches if we ordered from his shop.  Of course Kyle and I were hungry so we ordered.  We didn't actually eat the sandwiches until after we went through the bakery but they were delicious and it's worth a trip to Hoboken just to have one.

We finally made it to the front of the line and got to go inside.  The bakery itself is really small but I didn't expect anything extravagant because they've been in business since 1910.  There were a lot of people inside but really it was the perfect size shop with the perfect amount of charm.

 Look at all the baked goodness

There were so many people inside that it was hard to get pictures.  As you can see most of the above pictures are of cookies but there were also cakes, cupcakes, pies, and cannolis.  I ended up buying a red velvet cupcake, a cannoli, some cookies for the kids at home and a brownie.  Also I got a t-shirt so I can remember my trip forever.  Kyle splurged on mini cakes that you had to buy in pairs.  He ended up getting tiramisu, chocolate truffle, chocolate mousse and red velvet cakes.  I got to try them and they were delish.  Buddy Valastro has earned the moniker of Cake Boss.  The cookies were good too and the cannoli was the best.

This is me looking like a total geek as I live the dream.

So, was the 1 hour and 10 minute line worth it? YES! If you ever had any doubts about the Cake Boss being hyped up too much you are wrong.  He's the best.  I hope to get to Hoboken again someday when I have more disposable income so I can buy all the things.  Also it would be awesome to someday take one of his classes in cake decorating.  

Happy Tuesday!

Positive Thoughts

Today I was going to post about my visit to Carlo's Bake Shop, but it can wait.  The past two days I've been feeling pretty down and negative.  I've felt bad about Kyle going to the Navy, the loss of my dad, my unclear future and a few other things.  But, I was just looking at theBerry.com (a great site if you like to waste time looking at pictures like me) and I found a post called Be All That You Can Be and one picture in particular reminded me that instead of wallowing in my sadness I should think of the things that I do have.

So here's a list of positive things that I have in my life,

My family

I'm very blessed to have a family that loves me.  Even though I get mad at them sometimes for not being perfect, I know they'll always be here.

A home

In a post awhile ago I discussed how sometimes I'm unsure of where home is but no matter where I am in life I'll always have a place to come back to that I can call home for the time being.

My significant other

It may sound pretentious but I feel weird calling Kyle my boyfriend.  Regardless of what you or I call him though I'm thankful he's around.  I get upset a lot because I'm nervous about him possibly leaving for the Navy in about a year but I love him to death.

My pets

Animals have a way of knowing when your down.  My dogs are the perfect pick me up.  As soon as I walk outside they're there tails wagging.  My cat is less helpful but he's still super cute.

My car

This is a bit material but I know a lot of people that don't have their own cars and it sucks.  I have the freedom to go anywhere.  

My 2 best friends

I don't rely on them all too much because I like to tell myself that I can solve everything on my own but when I decide that I do need them they are ALWAYS there.  I could literally not talk to them for 3 months and then we pick up right where we left off like we just talked the day before.  I couldn't find better friends.

My education
Most days I'm really worried about what the heck I'm going to do next May when I graduate.  I want to own a bakery but I'm going to have no financial means to do so right after I graduate so what am I gonna do?  Obviously I'll get a job but there are a lot of questions that I don't know the answer to.  However, I will have a degree which is something that not everyone has so, thanks mom for making me go to college and giving me the means to do so.

My job
Currently I'm babysitting a few days a week which is most of the time a drag BUT I am employed.  I'm also not really looking forward to going back to work when school starts up but it is super cool that I don't have to worry about looking for employment.  I have a guaranteed job where I'm guaranteed to make $7.50 an hour and work at least 15 hours a week.  I shouldn't complain.

My life

This is something I don't think about too often because at 22 I'm still pretty sure I'm going to live forever but when I'm really down in the dumps it's sometimes nice to think about how I'm still here.  I'm still alive and I have the power to turn all of my frowns upside down.

Vacation

This past week I've been on vacation with my family.  This time "my family" includes, my mom, Julia, Elton, Evan, Kyle and my Aunt Cheryl from North Carolina.  We've spent the week in Wildwood, NJ.  This was the chosen vacation spot this summer because Julia dances and there was a dance competition here this week.   I guess I should mention that it was Nationals.  From what I understand she and the rest of her dance school (Dance with me by Sisters 3) did really well.  So Congrats to all of them.  Now here's a breakdown of my week starting last Saturday:

Saturday (July 6)

I spent the night at Kyle's on Friday night and then we woke up bright and early (6:00 am) to start our drive.  We got on the road at 7:20 am and arrived in Wildwood 8 hours later with a stop in State College along the way.  Also, Kyle was sick which sucked but he started feeling better the next day. YAY!

Our "arrival" photo

Sunday (July 7) 

We went to the beach.  We were there all day and it was awesome.  

I love the beach.

Monday (July 8)

We also went to the beach.  Julia had to dance.  We went to a restaurant called Dogtooth Bar and Grill.  They had pretty good food.

He was begging to be buried.

Tuesday (July 9)

No beach today.  We went to watch Julia dance in her duet.  They did really well but there was some steep competition.  We went to dinner at a place called Maui's Dog House (featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives) and had some gourmet hot-dogs that were pretty tasty.

Yummy

Wednesday (July 10)

Julia danced her solo and did a beautiful job.  I was so proud of her.  We went to the beach afterwards and then it got chilly and from there the weather went South.

Thursday (July 11)

 The weather was really crappy in the morning.  In the late afternoon we did go out on the boardwalk.  I finally got some seafood and we went and saw Marmoset monkeys that were absolutely adorable.  Kyle won me a Despicable Me minion and I was happy as a clam.

BANANA!

Friday (July 12)

Today is our last day here and it is quite possibly the worst last day at the beach ever.  It has yet to stop raining.  We did have a nice breakfast at Uncle Bill's Pancake House but I think that's as exciting as it's going to get today unless the rain stops.

So I guess I can say that it's been a pretty good vacation, except for the rain.  The rain really sucks.  Tomorrow we'll be heading home and stopping in Hoboken to visit Carlo's Bakery (as seen on Cake Boss on TLC) I'm super excited.  After Hoboken it will be back to State College for Kyle and me because this weekend is Arts Fest. 

Happy Friday!

The Absentee

Yeah, yeah I know I've been absent for about a week now.  I don't know if I have any die hard fans that really care or even notice enough to miss me but it doesn't matter because some days I miss blogging.  Although it sucks when you don't have a lot to blog about.

The past week was pretty boring.  I didn't go anywhere of note or read any super inspiring books (I am reading "The Trial" by Kafka at the moment but I'm having a real hard time getting through it) or bake anything.  The breakdown of last week is as follows:

Monday

I babysat.  It wasn't very fun.  It felt like an eternity.

Tuesday

I think I watched Law and Order for 8 hours straight, did some homework and took my first shower in a couple days (I know, I'm gross).

Wednesday

More babysitting.  It was just as uneventful as Monday

Thursday

I honestly don't remember anything about this day except for being depressed at wings/The Eagles because I drank too much vodka.

Friday

I went to Kyle's.  I learned about the X-men and other comic book characters.  

Saturday

We ended up in State College because they found out about the cat.  We had to remove all of his stuff and now we have no more kitty at the apartment. Oh well.

Sunday

I slept for a long time and then did more nothing (I think).  Seriously, I remember as much about Sunday as I do about Thursday.  What is my life?

I'll be honest, I think we all deserve a lazy day or two but last week was just pathetic.  Maybe I should re-evaluate some things.  I guess the good news though is that this week will be busy because I plan on baking at least one thing and I'm trying to get as much school work done as possible since we're leaving for the beach on Saturday! YAYYY!

This was me all last week

Happy Tuesday!