summer concert essentials

Well, it's that time of year when all your favorite bands and musicians come to town.... in the dead of summer. Here's my list of essentials and tips you'll need in order to survive and outdoor summer concert!

1. B R I N G   A   H A T  -  The more hipster-y the better! I recommend a short brim hat like a fedora so that when the sun sets you don't have to worry about taking your hat off and exposing your sweaty matted hair. 

2. S N A C K S  -  If you're smart you arrive early so you can get a good seat, and chances are you'll get hungry while waiting and sitting through opening acts. Instead of spending $13 on crappy nachos, bring some snacks from home! Most outdoor venues will allow it!

3. C O M F Y   S H O E S  -  We all like to look cute. If you're anything like me, your dream is that Marcus Mumford will spot you from backstage and invite you to hang with the band after the concert... and you wanna look good when that happens! Sadly, it probably won't happen, so skip the heels and just wear comfy shoes or sandals. Or at least bring some! You'll regret not wearing them after you've been standing, jumping, and being pushed around for the last 2 or more hours.

4. L I G H T   B L A N K E T  -  Most outdoor venues don't have assigned seating, or any seating at all. I personally don't like sitting on grass, so bring a blanket! Make sure it's a light one that won't bug you to haul around. I personally love the Mexican knit blankets (pictured above) - If you live in AZ I got mine for $6.99 at the Mexican Import store in Old Town Scottsdale. 

5. W A T E R,  W A T E R,  W A T E R  - I can't stress enough the need to hydrate! Make sure to drink lots of water beforehand and bring water with you! Again, you don't want to pay the vendor prices there.

A couple tips to remember before you leave and while you're there :

- Park near the exit! Yes, it seems illogical, but I promise it's genius! Think about it, when everyone leaves the concert, just getting out of the parking lot can take forever! I would rather walk a few extra yards to the the venue when I get there than wait 30 minutes trying to back out of a parking spot at the end when I'm tired and exhausted.

- Put your phone on "Airplane Mode". At a concert, there are hundreds, if not thousands of people with their cell phones on in one place. When this happens, it sucks all the service from the nearest tower. Not only are you going to get crappy service, but your phone will continue to search for service, and it's gonna drain your battery SUPER fast. Unless you really need to use your phone, I highly recommend doing this. Plus if you do, you can take a ton of pictures and not have to worry about your phone dying!

What are you summer concert must-have's or tips?

mumford & sons concert

Just wanted to share a few of the pictures I took while we were at the Mumford & Sons concert on June 5th. This was probably one of my favorite concerts I've ever been to! Despite the girl singing each song at the top of her lungs and the dudes toking it up behind us, I had a great time! Sometimes all you really need is some good music and good friends and I had both that night. In true hipster fashion, I just want to say I liked them before they got big. Heehee!

easy-peasy deviled eggs

It's Memorial Day, and in true American fashion, today we'll be going to a BBQ. I always struggle with what to bring to BBQ's. I either get in way over my head with some recipe that hardly ever turns out or I'm the 5th person to bring a potato salad. I have since discovered that Deviled Eggs are an item that no one really things to bring (at least not anything I've been to lately!) and they're stupid easy to make. Recipe below!

D E V I L E D     E G G S 

1 Dozen Large Eggs (I always buy pasture-raised)

Mayonaise 

Yellow Mustard

Splash of Dill Pickle Juice (optional)

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Paprika

I N S T R U C T I O N S

Hard boil your eggs. Here is a link to Hot Polka Dot - this is pretty much exactly how I boil my eggs. It's the best and they always come out perfect! ( http://hotpolkadot.com/2011/07/19/how-to-tuesday-eggcellent/ )
Once boiled and peeled, cut the eggs in half long ways, set on a plate, and put all the yolks into a ziplock bag. Shake up all the yolks until they fall apart into a kind of crumby texture. Add mayo and mustard - I never measure this out. Just add a couple spoonfulls of each until you reach the desired flavor. It really just depends on how mustard-y or creamy you like it! You can add a splash of dill pickle juice if you like them to have a little more "zing". Now seal up your ziplock bag and smoosh it all together until well mixed.
From the outside of the bag push your yolk mixture to one corner of the bag, like you would when icing a cake (photo below). Cut off the tip and squeeze the mixture into each egg half. Add salt and pepper to taste. Next sprinkle paprika on top - use as much or as little as you like. Refrigerate until ready to be served!

Besides BBQ's, swimming and gathering with friends and family, I hope we can all remember who Memorial Day is for. I am extremely grateful for all who have fought and died for this beautiful country in the line of duty. I am also thankful for those who continue to serve. God bless you and your families. 

my life in a month

So, it's been a while, I know. I've been MIA for a while because, well, life got in the way. Life meaning, I was busy with work, vacations, trying to eat healthy, working out, most importantly taking care of my husband and least importantly, I was seriously lacking some motivation. For the last few weeks I haven't had any inspiration, which is weird considering the major change in seasons. Anyway, I'm back and ready to share a bunch of the stuff I have lined up for you! I love summertime, so get ready for fashion posts, my favorite new products, and some fun DIY's! For now, here's my life via Instagram and other snapshots of the last month.

thanks for  putting up with my ramblings.

-breann

vacation - san francisco, california

After visiting the Muir Woods, we made our way down and over the Golden Gate bridge to San Francisco. I have always loved this city. Growing up, the company my dad worked for was based out of the Bay area, so during the summer, we'd head up there for a couple weeks at a time while he worked. During that time, my parents would often take our family to San Francisco and we would explore the city. Last time I was there was my honeymoon! San Fran is one of the coolest places I've been. It's one of the few large cities I've been to that's actually clean. I can totally see myself living there. Since I've done most of the tourist-y stuff, we opted to just walk around the city for a bit and get some yummy food. One of my favorite things to watch is the fog rolling in as the sun goes down. It's quite the sight to see.

Alcatraz - I really wanted to go tour Alcatraz when I was there since I've NEVER been. I found out they have night tours and got super excited, and then super bummed when I found out tours are sold out for the next 2 months. Lame.

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." - Mark Twain

vacation - muir woods, california

Today has been a long and adventure-filled day. We started out by visiting the Muir Woods, which is just north of San Francisco. I remember going there as a kid with my family, but being there as an adult was a completely different experience. It was much easier for me to recognize the reverence that occurs when walking amongst these giants. What a blessing these beautiful woods have been preserved. I'm reminded of the quote : “The human spirit needs places where nature has not been re- arranged by the hand of man." - Author Unknown. 

I just had to bust out my tree pose - couldn't help it. 

vacation - santa cruz, california

Well, I'm in California right now, visiting my husband while he's here for work. Today, his grandparents took us to Santa Cruz. The whole time we were there I kept asking myself "Why the freak don't I live here?!" - it's absolutely beautiful, the houses are the cutest (and most expensive) things I've seen, and the beaches are amazing. Not much of a blog post, rather than sharing photos of my adventures. Hope you enjoy. :)

Tomorrow : San Francisco