john mayer.

Well, in 2 words I can pretty much describe my weekend... JOHN MAYER!

Considering it was practically my first real concert, besides seeing Britney Spears in the 4th grade... "Oops I did it again" style, it was a pretty great concert to start off my music run on.  He was perfect.  Although rumor has it he has had difficulty with his throat & singing, he reached those high notes & sang almost all the class favorites in that sultry John Mayer way.  You know how he stares at you with that little quirky smile... his style is intoxicating. 

Anyway, it was very cool to see him in action after listening to his music for years now.  Growing up it was one of the few CDs in circulation that my mom actually liked.  You know... the old school "Room for Squares" album that had some of the best songs (Your Body is a Wonderland, 83, My Stupid Mouth...).  I grew up with John Mayer getting stuck in my head, seeing him rise to fame, watching my parents go to his concert (jealous of course because I didn't even get an invite... hint hint).  But I have gotten over my raging jealousy because... (drum roll please) I finally got my turn!

It was definitely worth the wait, but I was still hoping he'd sing some more of his oldies but definitely goodies.  Believe me... I was more than happy just to be there, watching him jam.  I never understood how talented he actually was at the guitar.  You know the songs & you hear the instrumental parts, but I never sat back & thought about his playing.  He was GREAT--playing behind the back, playing like we were listening to the song in fast forward, & playing long rhythmic solos.   (The way the camera zoomed in on his hands was like watching the "Titanic" all over again... if you've seen it, you'll understand).

I never understood why miss Chloe Briscoe was always so OBSESSED with John Mayer, but now I get it all.  It's all in the music & it's even better live.

Besides him playing my personal favorite, Your Body is a Wonderland (which he sang looking directly at me, of course!!), he did a few covers; including another one of my faves, Don't Stop Believing!  I didn't know how much I would like his concert at first since I wasn't super caught up with his newest album, but it was fantastic... even the new stuff.  I just kind of jammed & swayed along (pretending to know the words) with the music.  I didn't want it to end. 

Met some lovely EPhi Kappas :)

You can tell John ( I can call him that... right?  I think we have that kind of relationship) is a smart guy with those deep, beautiful lyrics, & he had a few wise things to say that reminded me of my blog: he spoke about how when he was younger he always thought about the future, how old he was & constant everyday worries, but now he just thinks about how it is great just being alive & awesome.  It sounds familiar, right?  Sounds a whole lot like "living in the moment..." huh?  I knew John would quote me one day... just didn't realize it would happen so soon!

Anyway... the weekend was in a nutshell, PERFECT! Besides the Gators losing, which we WILL NOT discuss.  

And a big shout out to Chloe Scott & family & friends for providing me with food & shelter during the weekend!! Thank you so much, it was great!

Ciao-Ciao.

just call me carrie.

Blogging has kinda become my obsession...

Sometimes when I write my blog posts I feel like Carrie Bradshaw (minus the glamor, cigarette, skimpy lingerie, risque topic, & high class followers, but plus the tutu!!!) & I just feel like this is were I belong... behind a computer screen with a story on my mind.

"Just call me Carrie"

Every episode of "Sex & the City" is centered around a theme that Carrie is usually researching & writing about.  She gathers with her 3 loyal friends & gossip about their lives (don't you wish you had the time & money these women all seem to have?).  Anyway, sometimes I center my life around what my blog post will say & I formulate ideas in my mind about how to organize those days into a single post.  My days eventually trickle down into a short "column," if you will, of words in my daily(ish) blog.  Isn't that what Carrie does?  I mean in reality she is writing about her friends crazy & outlandish experiences of their daily lives... just like me, right?

I know what your thinking... yeah.  My life isn't quite like Carrie's.  But I still catch myself looking through her eyes as I wonder, WWCD?  (What would Carrie do?)

Obviously this is kind of a joke, but in a way it is true because I do feel inspired to write while watching Carrie do her thing.  Carrie's just got a knack for turning moments into words... a knack I would love to have.  Although, my topic might be a little different...

I think we resemble one another, though... don't you?

"Rachele Harvey knows good moments."

breakfast always.

You know what's better than a three course dinner with a delicious salad, a lobster entree, & a tiramisu?  Breakfast for dinner.  And not just for dinner... but for lunch & probably even breakfast.  Today was on of those days.  I just woke up craving breakfast & it lasted until about... well now when I got my breakfast for dinner fix out of the way.  You know it's a good day when you look back & just see BREAKFAST!

This morning my roommate Katie & I decided to go get breakfast at the most delicious joint in Gainesville, The Flying Biscuit Cafe.  Sometimes you just have to let someone else make breakfast for you to make your day perfect!  So we drove up to the cafe as did 4758653 other people on this lovely Labor Day!  We sat and waited for about 5 minutes when we decided that 45 minutes was too long & that our stomachs couldn't handle the wait.  But as we handed the hostess the buzzer, she told us the secrets of all secrets... there were empty seats at the bar.  What?!  (Just so you know, if you go to Flying Biscuit... ALWAYS always always check the bar because ain't nobody got time to wait for biscuits).  But I will tell you, it was so worth it!

This little cafe is a bustling place where the churchgoers hang out on Sundays.  It is commercial looking on the outside, but don't judge this book by its cover because the inside is painted with sunflowers & the food is delicious & the serving sizes are HUGE.

Anyway... back to my "breakfast always."  Guess what I had for lunch?

Yep.  My leftovers from breakfast. & if that weren't enough, I found a recipe for a breakfast casserole & cooked that for dinner.  Breakfast on breakfast on breakfast.      

There is something special about breakfast because it is the only meal of the day you can eat at any time & it still tastes AMAZING & normal.  Dinner for breakfast?  No way...  But breakfast is a comfort food.

This was my attempt at a breakfast casserole.  It turned out great & tasted awesome, but here is the recipe I loosely followed: http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Sausage-Cheddar-Bread-Pudding-Michael-Symon

His may look better, but I'm just a novice & mine had more love in it!  Ciao-Ciao