Prior to leaving for North Carolina for the weekend, we headed to a Denver Outlaws major league lacrosse game against the Chicago Machine. Earlier this year we went to a few of the Mammoth games inside the Pepsi Center, but this was the first time I’ve seen a professional outdoor lacrosse game. So I was already pretty familiar with the game, not to mention my short lacrosse career in high school, but this version of the game is a little different. First of all there is a two point arch in this version of the game. And to make it even more higher scoring and fast paced, they also have a sixty second shot clock. And our game was no exception, the final score was an Outlaws victory 22-14 over Chicago.

After the game we were treated to a fireworks show that actually went above and beyond my expectations. Typically I am pretty disappointed by fireworks displays after seeing the WEBN Fireworks for years and other Rozzi productions. Anyway, they had a nice fireworks display that was perfectly synced up to music playing throughout the stadium. I was pleasantly surprised. The Outlaws only have two home games remaining this season, and I can only attempt to make it to one of those, but I will definitely be back sometime soon.

As I mentioned earlier Kim and I headed to North Carolina last Thursday to attend the wedding of our friends Amanda and Joel. These two were some of the first friends we made in Kansas City, and it was nice to be a part and help them celebrate their wedding. Kim was a bridesmaid in the wedding along with our other friend Maria. So it was nice to see all of these friends of ours again. Despite a couple of canceled flights, and some lost luggage, we eventually made it to Wilmington, NC after nearly 18 hours of travel time. We met up with our friends Mike and Christie and Mike’s parents’ condo, which was conveniently located about ten minutes from the site of the wedding.

The rest of the long weekend was spent golfing, sitting around pools, checking out the beach, and other wedding related activities. Mike and I, along with two of Joel’s friends, won the golf outing that they had. I contributed a few shots in the scramble despite playing with a set of rental clubs since my clubs didn’t show up until late Friday night. Needless to say, I will never fly US Airways again, at least not by choice. The wedding activities I attended were all very nice and mostly outdoors. We had great weather for the most part, even though it was quite humid. The ceremony was held outside and was very picturesque, although most of my pictures didn’t turn out too well because it a little too overcast, but the good ones that I do have can be found here. Congratulations Joel and Amanda!

I just finished sanding and painting the trim along with hanging blinds on all of the windows we had replaced a few months ago. We tried to get the blinds from Home Depot and Lowes, but neither of them could make them in the store or do it for a good price. So instead we found blinds.com and ordered two inch faux wood blinds for incredibly cheap! It really completes the project and should hopefully provide cooler temperatures in the house to combat the heat wave we’ve been having recently. As always, I added some pictures of the project for you to enjoy. My vacation starts now, and we are off to North Carolina tomorrow! Happy 4th of July!

I added a few photo albums to the site from Kim’s family’s trip out to Colorado. I wish I could have joined them for more of the activities, but it looks like they managed to have fun without me. I did visit their cabin on night and we went to a local track to race some go carts. That was a good time, even though I always seemed to get stuck with the slow cars. Next time I will definitely have more vacation saved up so I can do even more activities.

I finally got back into the concert scene over the weekend. On Friday night we headed down to Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom to see Tea Leaf Green. Prior to this show, I had only seen them at Wakarusa just over a year ago. The band definitely falls into the jam band genre, but from my experience they actually sing a little more than the typical jam band. They definitely still have their solos (some of which were a little long for my tastes on Friday) but their vocal harmonies and melodies are what draws me into this band. Their show on Friday was just an opening spot but we still got to see them play nearly 20 songs during their set. The show was well worth the $15 it cost to get in.

The show on the following day at Red Rocks was one of my favorites in a long time. This show was put on by the etown group and featured a headline performance from Michael Franti & Spearhead, an hour and fifteen minute set from the John Butler Trio, and an opening set from Mavis Staples. I knew very little about Ms. Stamples going into this show, but she actually delivered a nice performance full of classic songs from around the 60s. She also brought Michael Franti out for a nice version of The Band’s song “The Weight.”

The John Butler Trio played next and put on an excellent show as they always seem to do. Their performance further proved to me that this Australian trio are all amazing musicians. I saw them at a small stripped down show in March and it was nice to see them back with the full setup, although it wasn’t much different than before. If you ever get the chance to see them play live in concert, you should definitely go with no hesitation. If you go and don’t like the show, I will personally reimburse your ticket.

And finally, the show closers, Michael Franti & Spearhead. Out of all of the bands, they are the one that I have listened to the longest. I haven’t seen them too many times over the past three and half years, but each time that I do I always ask myself why I don’t go more often. The amount of energy they leave on the stage is pretty hard to beat, and I’m not sure how Franti does it. He jumps around the entire show, dances around the entire stage, and at the end of the show he still has enough energy to do a headstand and then drop down into various gravity defying yoga poses. His energy is infectious, as the crowd was very much into the performance on Saturday night. In one of the coolest moments in the concert, the entire band ends up on top of the soundboard covering and plays a mini acoustic set, playing in the middle of the crowd. This is another band that you just have to see to appreciate. It was another amazing performance.

A guy that I’ve emailed with quite a few times started The Live Music Podcast a couple of weeks ago and I’m loving it! So far there are four different podcasts which each highlight a live recording of various bands and artists. So far the podcasts have showcased music from Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Jack Johnson, and the John Butler Trio. So needless to say, the content is right up my alley. The website also features a list of featured streams and now includes even more suggested downloads. I’m really digging this site and format and hopefully you will too.

You know what I love? Hockey. You know what I don’t love? Losing. Unfortunately, these two things have become a common theme for my latest hockey team. We have played seven games, and we have lost seven games. It is really getting frustrating for me, especially since I finally feel like I am contributing to the team. The first few games I played I had some ankle problems. One game I had to quit after only playing half of the first period because it hurt so bad. Lately I have been focusing on strengthening my ankle and restoring the full range of motion by doing lots of exercises. I can almost say that I am getting close to 100%. Now if only I could say the same for my team. I am starting to feel like I’m a member of the Mighty Ducks. If only Gordon Bombay could come save the day for us…

I’ve been meaning to write about our weekend but the events of the past couple of days have kept me a little preoccupied. So, this past weekend we headed to Ann Arbor, Michigan to attend the wedding of our friends Gabe and Brad. I think the last time I wrote about these two, was way back in the days of Hurricane Katrina and their experiences living down in New Orleans (links to these entires:1|2|3|4). Well they are now living in Michigan and decided to have their wedding ceremony at Wellerss Carriage House in Ann Arbor.

The actual ceremony was fairly quick and simple and took place outside in a beautiful garden. This was a nice change when most of the weddings I go to are inside a large Catholic church. After the ceremony we had cocktails in the garden for a little while, and then were seated inside the carriage house for dinner, which was excellent! After eating our meals and having a couple of toasts some of the tables were cleared out while the band setup on the stage. It’s always great when there is a live band at the wedding, at least in my opinion. The rest of the night was filled with dancing, conversation, and many vodka tonics. It was a very nice wedding and reception, one of the tops in my book. Congrats Gabe and Brad!

PS I would post pictures but we only took a couple. Besides, I’m waiting for Amy to put together a slide show.

Late yesterday I heard that a friend of mine from OARfans.com had passed away due to injuries suffered in a car accident. I am still in as much shock as I was when I first found out and am finding myself pretty speechless about the whole thing. Jordan was truly a great person and it’s sad that his life was cut so short. There are so many times that I can recall him being the life of the party, bringing smiles to so many faces, and just living his life to the fullest. He had done so much in such a short time and will truly be missed by so many people. The messages that are being left on his myspace page are truly touching and show just how many lives he touched. Here is a news article from a Chicago newspaper that details the story of his passing. We’ll miss you JordanWho, the breakdancing ninja.

Most of Kim’s family members are currently up in Estes Park, Colorado which is near the eastern entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. So while I’m sitting at my desk logging into work, Kim is out with them enjoying all of the wonderful things to do in and around the park and the rocky mountains. So far they’ve done a biking trip and I believe they plan to go white water rafting tomorrow. Needless to say, I am extremely jealous. However, I am going to meet up with tonight to grab some dinner and hang out for a little bit. If only I had more vacation days…