THE BRITISH ARE COMING

When dad called me a couple of months ago asking if I wanted to go see the legendary Rolling Stones, I jumped at the chance. Apparently Alfredo was equally as excited.

I didn't really have the heart to tell him that he wouldn't be joining us. As usual, Auntie Aimee took great care of him.

It only took us a few weeks to determine the venue. Hello Philly!

Pictured here were our original seats at $300 a ticket. Despite being in the "nose bleeds", Antonio Banderas dad and I were PUMPED! How great does the stage look?!

 

Mick Jagger, legend



Keith Richards, legend

So now you might be thinking, with seats like those, how did she get pictures like these?

Well, let me tell you what I now know for sure:
A. Being friendly goes a long way. You never know who you are talking to.
B. There really are great people in this world
C. Miracles happen

Here's the official story:
I'm sitting at Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix waiting for my flight. I'm scheduled to arrive in Philly at 5pm. Show time was at 8pm. About 30 minutes prior to departure, the flight is delayed. As you can guess, panic began to set in.

In the meanwhile, I am doing what I usually do at the airport...listening to music, playing around on the iPad, people watching, etc. In fact, I never spark up conversation with others at the airport. Ever. However, this lady walked up to use an outlet (finding available outlets at the airport is like stumbling upon gold), and she happened to be wearing a Rolling Stones jacket. For the first time in my many years of flying, I took the earbuds out of my ears and asked her if she was going to the show. To make a long story short, we spoke for awhile before we boarded, she saved me a seat once we boarded, and we exchanged numbers "to potentially meet up" at the show (or so I thought) before going our separate ways.

After flight delays and an incredibly long flight, I was finally wheels down at 6:40pm. Dad scooped me up, and we were off to the show. A while later, my new airport friend sent me a text asking where we were sitting. I explained to dad that she may hang out with us for awhile during the show. A few songs in, there she was, with something BIG.

Turns out, her husband works for the band and as a result, she gave us pit passes so that we could watch the show from the very front of the stage. Five days later, I'm still waking up every morning wondering if it was all a dream. I just have to look down at my wrist to remind myself that it all really happened.

 

Still rocking our wristbands several days later!

Dad and I will never forget this incredible experience, all because a stranger decided to do such a great deed. I feel I will forever be in debt to my new friend. Other than giving me (and dad) such a great experience, she will forever remind me how influencial it can be to pay it forward. 

Philadelphia was one of the greatest trips I have ever taken. Aside from the concert, I tried a cheesesteak for the very first time, which was another delightful Philly experience.     

These would be dangerous if I actually lived in Philly. They are devine!

And of course, we did all of the historical sightseeing.

 

Here we are in front of the Liberty Bell. This picture makes perfect sense, really, considering I basically had bells and whistles on during the entire trip.

Okay, now stop reading this blog and pick up the latest Rolling Stone magazine.

HEAVEN!



June is quite jubilus...

Where on earth shall I begin? Okay, I guess chronologically. Back up to late May: NEW JOB. Woot! The bummer is that I'll lose my summers off as a teacher, but the new job hasn't started just yet so summer fun is still in full swing for me. How have I been spending my time? Well, back in March I was in a rut. I couldn't think of a better time to book a flight back to the great Midwest (clearly this is a pattern as I've gone EVERY summer with the exception of graduate school two summers ago). Despite making time for "home", I took it upon myself to make a little detour in an effort to visit new grounds. What a fabulous thing to do. On the itinerary was Milwaukee, a fantastic city (maybe I'd use a different adjective if it was January and not June). Anyway, the purpose of this destination was to visit my dear friend Heather. It was a great little getaway. I'd say highlights were this lobster sushi roll I had that I am now craving again, a rooftop lunch, sightseeing, having a gym buddy, enjoying "America's pastime", and just being with her. Let's not forget my new buddy, Bruiser. 

(I'd argue he is equally as cute as Alfie, and even a bit better behaved.) 

In a nutshell, the visit was fantastic. After she dropped me off at the train station (I happen to love taking the train - reminds me of my days overseas), I headed to Chicago for some fun with Aimee. Highlights - a shoeless Turkish dinner, a fantastic (and free!) haircut, gummi bears (insider), a Hawks win, and stumbling upon a Boston Terrier sitting in a window in the middle of Lincoln Park....this was amazing. His mannerisms were similarly to Alfie's. It made me miss him.

While I was visiting Chicago Aimee, Arizona Auntie Aimee took great care of him while I was gone. She sent me pictures of him entertaining himself. Here he is staring at himself in the mirror.

He certainly knows he is a handsome boy. If I looked that good, I'd probably stare at myself in the mirror, too.

Then of course, he sent me kisses from afar...

It's a bummer that he's too big for the airplane. I have considered using the Pet Airways service, but I haven't actually tried it, yet. Sometimes I wish AZ wasn't so far away from the Midwest/East Coast regions. Maybe a move is in our future (NOT Indiana, though)...although, it was nice being home for a day.