Phish- The Gorge- Help me Pack!

Hi guys!  Guess what time it is?  It's time for another personal post.  Yippie!

So about a month ago I wrote about going to see Phish in Charlotte and Raleigh...  remember when I discovered the perfect kitchen?  Well... I am going again, but this time I am flying across the country to Washington.  I'm so excited.... so excited.

I'm going with my boyfriend, Jimmy.  (I know... he's so cute!)  I was telling my mom the other day that I don't think I have ever been this excited for a trip in my life, which is saying something because I LOVE going on trips.

I am excited about this trip for so many reasons.  First, the venue is supposed to be amazing.  There is really nothing behind the band... it just sort of drops off into the gorge.  I've seen Phish at a lot of different venues but never anywhere like this.  I might go to see it even if Phish wasn't playing!  I've also never seen anything like this period. I've never been to the Grand Canyon or even spent much time on the West Coast... so all very exciting.

Second, we are camping.  If you know me at all you can go ahead and stop laughing.  I know.  It's funny.  I am very much an inside girl.  About 6 months ago I decided I wanted to get into camping.  I haven't really camped since Discovery at Westminster, and that was kind of a disaster.  I enjoy things like washing my hair and sleeping in a bed.  I decided I wanted to get into it as a challenge to myself.  It's always good to do things that make you uncomfortable in order to grow as a person.  Well, camping makes me a little uncomfortable.  I have been talking such a big game though that I couldn't pass up the opportunity.  (plus the phish aspect.  duh)

Apparently what I am going to do is less camping in the tradition sense (see the serene picture I used at first) and more like a big party.  When I was searching for pictures of camping at The Gorge I came across these amazing photos by Matthew J. Van Deventer on his blog.  What a talented photographer, and I think the pictures really tell the story.  I thought I would include a few so you can get an idea and just because they are so pretty!

I included this picture not so much because of the feeling, but more because it's just so beautiful!  Isn't it?  Can you believe the feeling portrayed in that shot?

I love this picture too... just hanging out before the show.  I am very intrigued by this photographic process.  It looks like HDR to me, but how could it be?  In HDR you combine 3 images, but if he did that the jumprope would be moving.  I wish I could figure it out because I think it would be ver cool to use on some of our listing photos.

I love this picture of this girl brushing her teeth with the bottle of water!  1. it's AWESOME, and 2. it seems to give a pretty good idea of what it will be like.

I don't know if you guys do this too, but before I go on a trip I spend so much time in my head trying to figure out what it will be like.  Especially this, since it is so far out of my comfort zone and so far beyond anything I've ever done.  I think these pictures give a great idea of what it will be like, but at the end of the day I am still having trouble imagining it.

Allow me, if you will, to be totally self-indulgent for a minute.  Well, I guess it's my blog, so I can do what I want....  but I am having this problem with packing.  There is so much going into the decision.  First, there is the thing about us actually being outside the whole time (not to mention is should be 90 in the daytime and 60 at night), so you would think fashion was not a priority... but then there is the whole "first trip with a new boyfriend have to look super-cute thing."  Stressful!  ha ha.  (I know, what a life, right?)

I really want to bring this necklace.  You know I like birds a lot, plus it's durable... so that's good, right?  You never know what kind of dancing I might be doing :)

I am going to bring this one too.  Birds.  I know.  I have a problem.  What about clothes?

I love this dress so much.  I got it on my trip to Venice when I was 17.  It is so lightweight that it would be perfect in 90 degree heat.  The only problem is that it is white.  Do you think it will get too dirty?  I guess it can always be bleached.  (do you love my mirrors?)

I love this dress.  I got it from Rachel Farmer after she daughter ordered the wrong size for prom.  Lucky me!  It is orange (brand=T-Bags), and I was thinking it would be great to wear on the plane with a cute sweater (you know it gets cold on those planes!).  What are your thoughts?

This shirt is awesome.  It is silk and the straps are braided.   I wore it to the Furthur show the other night and was impressed with how roomy and breezy it was.  I got it on sale at Anthropologie if you're interested :)

And finally I want to bring this awesome shirt!  This is the back.

And here is the front.  I literally cannot say enough nice things about this shirt!  It is from my friend Dana Spinola's store Fab'rik. If you have not been to this store, GO!  I love it.  Amazing finds that won't break the bank.  It is definitely my new favorite boutique in Atlanta.  I have gotten so many of my favorite summer outfits there... including this shirt.  I wore it hiking the other day and it was so great.  Of course it was about 100 degreese, but the open back was so nice and kept me cool.  I am looking forward to breaking it out in Washington (plus, who doesn't love an american flag shirt at a concert... duh.).  Again, go to Fab'rik.  You won't be sorry. :)

So... that's all I have so far.  What do you guys think?  To much?  What should I leave behind and what else should I bring?

I leave on Thursday and I am so excited!  To see the play by play you can always friend me on facebook (Blayne Beacham).  I will upload pictures throughout the trip, but I will also write a post about it when I get back home :)

Wish me luck! :)

And remember to enter to win Wicked tickets!

Phish... and a kitchen?

I'm sure you guys were longing for a more personal post from me considering my recents writings have been strictly business.  Ha ha.  I'm kidding... kind of... This was one of the most serendipitously awesome weekends of my life.  Yes.  I said that.

Phish has been my favorite band since 2000.  I love them in a way I have never loved any other band.  I am not talented enough at writing to really explain why other than to say that they provide an entire community experience/language with their music... either you know what I mean or you don't.  If you don't then I would suggest listening and trying to figure out what I'm saying.

Side Note: This weekend I decided I'm in awe of people who can write about music.  They are equally as talented as the musicians.  It reminds me of the kid in Almost Famous.  I wish I could channel his talents for just a moment, but I guess I will have to just stick to writing about houses... at least you guys humor me by reading that :)

After two great shows in Atlanta last week, I was super bummed that my Phish concerts were over for the summer...

But to my great delight, I got the opportunity to go see the next two shows in Charlotte and Raleigh.  Did I want to go?  Duh.

The Friday night Charlotte show (click the link to see a video) was hands down the best show I've ever seen (click here to check the set list).  I am not sure if it was because we were so close I could see everything/everybody (usually there are a lot of tall people in front of me and I have to jump up and down and check the giant screens), or if it was because IT WAS SO AMAZING, but either way it was something I'll never forget.

Again cue the fact that I don't know how to write about music other than overusing the words awesome, amazing, cool and other lame adjectives.

On Saturday we drove from Charlotte to Burlington, NC (which was an hour from the next show in Raleigh).  We were staying in my friend Jimmy's grandma's house.  It was beautiful.  Burlington was a nice town, and the house was located in a quintessential Southern golf neighborhood.  I was impressed by the house as we drove up, but was ill-prepared for what was inside waiting.  We went into the house through the side door that opened to the most beautiful kitchen.  I was in awe.  How is it that in the middle of the greatest music weekend of my life (bold) I happened upon a magazine-worthy kitchen in North Carolina?  My two favorite things at once!  Coincidence?  I don't think so.... I think the universe was just trying to get me to write about Phish on my blog!  ha ha.

Please let me preface this part by saying I did not bring my camera.  Unlike most people who break out their cameras on vacation because it's something new and different, I spend 90% of my life with a camera in my hand and like to use my vacations as a break from hauling a camera.  Thank the lucky stars (or the universe again) I traveled with my ipod and used it to snap a few pictures.  Please don't judge me on the quality of these.  I wouldn't have posted, but you guys NEEDED to see this kitchen.... so look past the cell phone-iness of them.  Thanx.

Additional side note:  You may notice my writing change once we discuss houses (I'm such a nerd).

Here is the view as you walk in the side door.  Blue and white is obviously one of my favorite color combinations, so I'm already sold.  Also, you can't beat natural light, and there was a huge skylight (top left corner).  I want to mention the floors too.  Today there is such a trend toward dark floors, and while I think they are beautiful, the lighter wood here adds a certain warmth that ties the whole thing together perfectly.

Here is a better shot of the skylight, but it also shows the French door leading to the patio.  This kitchen has ideal flow for a dinner party where the guest could mingle on the patio and in the bar area while the host works in the kitchen.  This openness is something I lack in my own kitchen, so I am hyper-aware of it when I see it in others.

Here is a little bit better picture of the eat-in bar.  It's such a nice height, and I like that you can fit three stools there comfortably without feeling cramped.  Going back to the party, this would be an ideal place to set out appetizers, or you could take the stools away and let people set their drinks there as they chat.

I wanted you guys to be able to get a closer view of the marble.  I'm not sure how much you can tell from the photo, but it was intricate and beautiful.

This is the area to the right of the eat-in bar.  I took this to show the brilliant use of under cabinet storage.  Again, this is something I lack in my own home and covet in others.  I took the liberty (sorry Jimmy) of checking out the storage situation, and there was room for several medium-sized appliances.  Thus we can affectionately use the term "cook's kitchen" here.  One more thing I wanted to point out was the use of glass panes and glass shelves in the cabinets, which were filled with glasses.  The whole thing created a very pretty visual and created the feeling the glasses were floating.

This bar was to the right as you walked in the side door.  Can you see the backsplash tile?  It is so pretty... white with veins of gray.  It looked to me like the same marble as the counters, but with more of a highly polished finish.  I could be wrong about that...

This door hardware is great.  It reminded me of a suitcase latch :)  Take a moment to check out that glass on glass action.... almost like an optical illusion... you can also see me lamely standing there with my ipod... brilliant.

This is a closer photo of the island and range.  There are a lot of things I love here.... firstly, I like that the ovens are in the corner and out of the way.  There are also two ovens, which is always nice!  The diamond pattern of tile on the backsplash is also worth noting.  It breaks it up and adds interest without distracting.  So classic.  And finally, I may be in the minority here, but I adore an electric range.  I have an electric range at my house, and it is so easy to clean and gets hot really fast.  I cook a lot, and it's nice to be able to just wipe up when you're finished.  My mom has a gas range at her lake house that I cook on a lot.  It feels more substantial to cook on it, but I always spill something, and it's a pain to clean.  So for me, electric>gas.  :)

And finally we have this view from the other side of the kitchen.  I am not sure it shows us anything new, but maybe gives a better idea of the space?  This is a huge kitchen, and that is coming from someone who walks into 2-3 kitchens a day.  I will also say it's the most awe-inspiring kitchen I've seen in a while.  Honestly, can anyone even remember the last time I did an entire post on one kitchen?  This may be a first.  Jimmy told me his aunt made all the choices for the kitchen, and I want to say she did a fantastic job!  So thank you to Jimmy for inviting me, thank you to Jimmy's grandma/family for letting me stay there, and thank you to Jimmy's aunt for having great taste.

For those of you who are interested, the Saturday night Phish show in Raleigh was AMAZING (ha ha... I did that as a joke... but also because I could not think of what else to say... remember, we are back to talking about music).  But honestly, it was a great show, and they played Ester, which I am told is a rarity.  Great weekend.  Great music.  Great kitchen.  Can it get any better?  For me?  no.

Hope you enjoyed the personal post :)

Love ya! BB