Hangout Day 3: We survived the rapture

By day three I was feeling it. We had been standing pretty much all of day two. My body was sore and I was tired. We decided day three we would take it easy. We didn't care where we stood, and would just try and see as much as we could. Our day started in the The Boom Boom Room. And we discovered the biggest secret of Hangout: awesome air conditioning! The tent wall on the right have five large air conditioners AND it was next to Sweetwater Brew Co. tent!   First band up was Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights. Kind of funky psychedelic 1970ish music. I love the back up singer, she has an awesome Afro and even better voice!

Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights

My outfit on day three was very low key, black bathing suit cover up dress, however, the festival favorites were out in FULL FORCE. I snapped a picture in the Boom Boom Room of this lovely lion. What you can't really see is her leopard friend right behind her.

I am going to find out where she got her outfit so I can get one for next year.

By far my favorite from day three was OCMS! They sounded great, played all of my favorites and a new song. The crowd loved them. While waiting for them to start I ran into some DBT fans. The guy was wearing a shirt from the Athens Homecoming show this year that I dragged the FH to. DBT was playing after OCMS, and I have seen DBT three times before so I passed this time around, but I heard later they ROCKED the BOOM BOOM ROOM!

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW

After starving ourselves the day before, we decided that we were going to eat AS MUCH and AS BAD as we wanted on the last day. This meant: cheese fries, funnel cake and lots of Sweetwater. After OCMS, I was feeling "under the weather" so we found the awesome hammock area with the misting machines and chilled while Matisyahu started his set. After I started feeling better we wanted to check out the crowed for Matisyahu, so we went to the Megadrop. The Megadrop is that carnival ride that takes you straight up and drops you. It was so awesome, Brianna L screamed like a little girl. I almost lost my funnel cake. But it was well worth it. Briana V really wanted to see Amos Lee so we went to the main stage. There was NO ONE there. I know Amos Lee through my mother (shocking, yes I know). Amos has a chill sound, great lyrics. We pulled out the trusty queen sheet. Set up shop in the sand and I took a NAP! No offense to Amos, but the conditions were right and I was in desperate need for some zzzzz's.

Super close to Amos Lee

Feeling rejuvenated after my nap, we went back to the Boom Boom Room. The tent was PACKED for Girl Talk. I just wanted to dance, and dance we did. Girl Talk is fun. Just pure fun. We were all the way in the back but LOVED it. Even when the kid two over from me threw up on the guy in front of him, no one seemed fazed, they just kept dancing. And that is the power of Girl Talk.

GIRL TALK!

What you can't see: toilet paper machine, confetti, all the people up on stage!

Girl Talk was INSANE!

After dancing our hearts out we got a nice open spot in the back for Black Keys. This is the only time I couldn't hear the band from the back. People were chanting for them to turn it up. And they didn't play the whole set, which was a little disappointing. But I did get to hear my favorites, "Everlasting Light," "Next Girl," "Howlin for you," "Tighten Up," and "I'll Be Your Man."

ALL THE WAY IN THE BACK for Black Keys.

Rally for Black Keys, you should have met my dancing partner next to us!

Finally it was time for the main event, Paul Simon. We decided to dig out a seat int he sand and settle in. The people in front of us had their two kids, like 4/ 5 years old with them. I'm not 100% sure I would want to drag babies to this festival, but whatever floats your boat. The light up hula hoops were out in full force. So were the glow sticks. It got really cold around 10pm and we headed for the shuttle home.

Sitting in our sand couch at Paul Simon!

I had an awesome time at this festival and can't wait to go next year. Spending the weekend with two of my favorite people was great, the music was great and the venue was great! If you ever have a chance to go to Hangout you should totally take it!

Hangout Day 2: A lesson in patience

Hangout Day 2 was definitely the day we were most excited about. Our plan was to get as close to the stage as possible. We were lucky enough to avoid the shuttle and Brianna L's friend RJ came and picked us up. We were there before the gates opened and planned to get in and go straight to the main stage and stake out our spot. While waiting in line you always get to scope out the other attendees. I don't understand how some of the girls that came to Hangout looked soooo good. At this festival it is hot, sandy humid and totally not worth it. So I will let you enjoy my day 2 outfit:

Cowboy hat+America tank+zebra shorts= CLASSY

Comfort is key, a few laughs make it even better! But in all seriousness, there was no way I was going to wear make up, dress up and try and look cute at this festival. We were there to see great music and enjoy ourselves, and that sometimes includes some sacrifices. I would like to share with you my steps on getting to the front of the festival stage:

1. Get there fairly early, we were there EVERYDAY before the gates opened!

2. Patience: Brianna L compared it to one of those contest where you can't take your hand off the car, settle in and get comfortable. You are in it for the long haul.

3. Hold your ground: there were several times I threw down. During Cee-Lo there were 5 of us in the front and this little blond girl walks right in the middle of us. I told her that she was going to have to move before the Avett Brothers started and she looked at me like I was being ridiculous. I said I had been there since 11:30am and she was going to have to move or I would move her. I turned around to talk trash about her to Brianna L and when I turned back she was gone. That is what I call getting it done. Don't mess with a dehydrated, starving, Avett Brothers fan.

4. Rotate out: you are eventually going to have to pee, especially if you are on your 7th Miller Light of the day. This is when your friends come in handy and you rotate out. I was super surprised to see how GREAT the porta pottys were at Hangout. I was never in line and always had toilet paper! 

Not a sprint, not a marathon. IT'S AN IRONMAN!

Those mariachi suits must have been SUPER HOT!

Mariachi El Bronx was the first band up on the main stage. I think all mariachi music sounds the same but this band was like badass mariachi (if such thing exists). With songs about ex cons and perverts I don't know how they couldn't be badass.  And they get mad props for playing in the heat in those suits! Brianna L. really just wanted them to sing LaBamba, I think she was really disappointed when they didn't :(

After Slightly Stoopid and Brianna L's "crotch in face" experience.

Slightly Stoopid came on after the mariachi band. I don't know if my favorite part was the bowl hits on stage or the bands cover of John Denver "Leaving on a Jet Plane." I must admit I'm not a HUGE fan of Slightly Stoopid, but they were the only band that came out to take pictures with fans afterwards.

Showing off the AWESOME koozies Brianna L made!

It must take a LOT of work to coordinate all of these performances, and I give the Hangout Fest crew props for doing such a great job, but at times there are going to be issues. Cee Lo Green was supposed to go on and was WAY late. Like 45 minutes late. The owner of the Hangout came out to announce that Cee Lo was late, BUT the FOO FIGHTERS were coming on instead! The Foo Fighters were supposed to headline that night, and had arrived in Gulf Shores the nigth before. Instead of playing their set list they covered a bunch of songs, including Prince's song Darling Nikki and that's when Cee Lo showed up.

Foo Fighters playing School's Out

Cee Lo didn't play a full set, I don't even think he played a full song. He kept cutting them short and moving on to another song. It was like he was trying to squeeze as much in as possible. No one booed or got mad, I think everyone was too pumped from seeing the Foo Fighters!

Cee Lo, he was way fatter in person. 300 lbs to be exact, he told us.



After Cee Lo it got REALLY crowded up front. We had been using our awesome queen sized bed sheet to gain territory. You get to know your neighbors really well when you are camped out up front. The girls next to us were really nice, however the boys on the other side were interesting. At one point we looked over and one of them was sitting on the ground picking at the bottom of his foot. Then he used a lighter to burn his foot. Then he used part of the lighter to DIG into his foot. THEN HE TOOK A BITE OF HIS PIZZA. WITH HIS DIRTY FEET HANDS. See my reaction in the picture below:

Yes I am making the "gag me" face.

NOTHING, not even foot boy, was going to ruin the next act for me. I had been waiting ALL DAY to see the Avett Brothers. I have seen them six times before, but every time is AMAZING. They crushed "Shame" and "Pretty Girl from Cedar Lane" and they played "At the Beach" which was perfect for the venue. Joe the cellist was RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. I could have touched him. We were so close.

I and Love and Them :)

I was on such a high after the Avett Brothers I almost forgot that I hadn't had anything to eat that day.  The Avett crowd was huge and then crowd was getting bigger for the Foo Fighters. Briana V, bless her soul, went to get us pizza before the Foo Fighters. I don't know how she got back to the front, especially with three pieces of pizza and three beers, but she did it. After refueling, we were ready for some Foo Fighters. I literally have no words to descirbe this show. There were 35,000 people at Hangout and we were in front for this show. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Their show ended with fireworks. Again, AWESOME. Then we began the long task of trying to leave. Walking through the sand back we were SHOCKED at how much trash was left behind. It was like a mine field of beer cans. As we were leaving a tshirt vendor started trying to sell Brianna L a shirt and called her an 'old school teacher' which was hilarious and definitely didn't make her want to buy one. Thank God for RJ again because he helped us avoid the shuttle lines and drove us home. We all passed out and woke up to do it all again for day 3!

Hangout Day 2 Delay

Hangout Fest day 2 has prematurely aged my body, thus the blog post for day 2 will be delayed while I recover. Recovery will not be that long however, up for round three today: Keller Williams, Old Crow, Matisyahu, DBT, Amos Lee, Girl Talk, Black Keys and Paul Simon.

Hangout Day 1 Recap: UPDATED

Hangout has been an ADVENTURE so far! After spending the morning on the beach we packed up and headed to the shuttle site. The bus that picked us up HAD NO AIR CONDITIONING. I thought we were going to DIE riding there. But once we got off the bus it was actually cool outside. If you remember my picture from my last post and my ensemble, you know what I look like (The Brian(n)a's had no problem finding ME in the crowed). TRUST I blended in. After getting off the bus we went and stood in line to wait to get in. While waiting we got to see some of my festival favorites THE HULA HOOP GIRLS! I love it. The people in the super large line were so much fun, even though we were in the hot sun, waiting anxiously for the festival gates to open, you cant help but LOVE the free spirits around you!

When we got in we went to the Hangout Stage and saw Kristie Lee, awesome.  had never heard her before, perfect way to start the festival, then we went to across the festival and saw Brandi Carlile. LOVE LOVE LOVE her, if I could be a musician I would want to be her! However, my favorite act of the day was GRACE POTTER AND THE NOCTURNALS!

Oh my goodness, blew my mind! I think I have a new girl crush. This band ROCKS! And I loved when they covered Heart, Crazy On You. Afterwards was My Morning Jacket, this was the first time during the day I actually felt crowded, BUT we were literally 20 feet from the stage so of course it was going to be crowded.

We did not stay for Widespread Panic, I don't think we were going to be able to make it across the festival to the other stage. So we caught the shuttle home. Our driver passed our stop, so we had to walk an extra mile. No biggie, I was still amped from all the awesome music we heard that day! (I may or may not have stopped behind a bush on the side of the road to pee because I wasn't going to make it home, however, this can not be confirmed.)

My only picture from the day.

After our first day, here are some of our Hangout essentials:

1. Nalgene bottle- even though when we first got there the water station water was HOT, it was necessary to have the bottle, because you could buy $3 water and put it in the bottle, so much easier to carry.

2. SHEET- I'm talking bed sheet you can put down and sit on. This saved space, and kept us close to the stage!

3. Cash- super important to make it easy to buy beer ($6 for a 16 oz Miller Light) 

4. Sunscreen- burning will RUIN your experience. Reapply reapply reapply! My mom would be proud I made it through the first day unscathed! 

5. Hat and sunglasses- it is bright on those white sand beaches!

Sorry I don't have any pictures (it was kind of hard to keep my phone out), I hope to take some today! Todays line up: Civil Twilight, Slightly Stoopid, Dead Confederate, Cee Lo Green, Primus, AVETT BROTHERS, The Flaming Lips and Foo Fighters!

Having fun on the Gulf!

Megan

Peace Love and Hangout

As I sit on the beach this morning let's recap our first evening in Gulf Shores! Briana V and I drove down yesterday and caught up with Brianna L on Interstate 65.

Plum :)

The 7 hour drive was not horrible until the last HOUR when we all just wanted to be at the beach. Our condo is super presh. Overlooking the beach, balcony, etc.

After we MOVED IN (Brianna L brought way too much stuff) we went to get our tickets. Briana V only packed ONE swimsuit so we stopped at Surf City for some browsing. I got this lovely ensemble.

I sent this picture to the FH and he thought I was a man.

After claiming our tickets we ate at a place right across from Hangout called and were served this wonderful concoction.

YUM! 

With vacation officially started we went back to the condo, broke out the hookah and broke in the balcony. We had unexpected plans present themselves and decided to meet up with some of Brianna Ls friends at this bar called Florabama, which is right on the Florida Alabama line. Think TOTS on steroids. This place was huge, had two stages with southern rock cover bands. We had quiet the eclectic mix of ages which made for excellent people watching. At one point in the evening I looked over to find people who looked like grandparents grinding on the dance floor. Sorry I don't have pictures to represent our time spent at Florabama, but trust it was epic.

Sand artwork we found Friday morning!

Ok friends, time to get ready for Hangout day 1! 

Peace, love Hangout!

Megan

HAPPY HAPPY MONDAY!

Today is cold and cloudy in Athens. And it is Monday. And I slept on my right arm funny last night. And I had blood taken from my left arm this morning. And I had to go through ABANDONED PROPERTY at work, which is my LEAST favorite thing in the WHOLE WORLD! But my friend Brianna made my day 100% better when she sent me this picture:

Yes friends, this is a Hangout Fest koozie that she made! All I have to do is make it to THURSDAY and then I will be on my way to Alabama! 

Peace, Love and Vacation!!

Megan

Thank my lucky starrs!

Friday night was graduation in Athens! Kyle and I decided to get dinner downtown before the crazy graduation crowd was finished in the stadium. We headed to Tarppeze Pub. Known for their assortment of beer, this pub offers more than "bar food." I started with a New Belgium Trippel, so yummy and ordered the Beer Battered Fish and Chips (hey, it was the beginning of the weekend, I can splurge!) It was delicious. The fish was crunchy and I love thick steak fries. It was so much food I ended up giving Kyle like 1/3 of  my dinner. I also ordered my favorite IPA, from Atlanta based Sweetwater Brewing Company. 

After dinner we were walking around and I saw a a pregnant woman with an ice cream cone from Ben and Jerry's and it made me want ice cream. So we stopped in and I got the Jimmy Fallon inspired flavor, Late Night Snack. Chocolate covered potato chips in vanilla ice cream with salted caramel swirl. I know what you are thinking CHOCOLATE COVERED POTATO CHIPS? It was soooo good! Great mix of salty and sweet!



We ended the night watching the fireworks for graduation! I LOVE that UGA has the fireworks show, such a great treat for graduates and their families. You can see them from almost anywhere on Baxter/Lumpkin.

Saturday I busted out my Hayley Starr S Dress (http://www.hayleystarr.com/clothes-infinite.php). I bought it months ago, but it was at the bottom of a drawer and I completely forgot about it until Saturday when I couldn't decide what to wear. This dress is PERFECT for those that are indecisive. I started the day wearing it as a skirt, with a white tank top and black sandals to run errands in. Then changed to a one shoulder with a belt for dinner with Kyle. I love love love this dress. I would wear it all the time if I could! It comes in six colors, I have the black one. Check out the videos on the website about how to tie the dress in different ways.

The wedding invitations came in and now they are being addressed. We also got our wedding rings in. I love mine, I want to wear it now! Kyle has hidden them so I don't keep trying to sneak it on my finger! 45 Days and counting! We are going over the ceremony and finalizing the program. We want to make sure that we add little things that reflect us and will be special for our friends and family. Inspiration is running a little low at the current moment however, and hopefully will pick up soon, because I am running out of time!

Athens is "Empty"

Living in a college town you become accustom to the ebb and flow in population. However, there is none so drastic as the summer population exodus and I love it! Don't get me wrong, I miss the students and the normal buzz of work, but the town just seems less crowded. Students usually ask "What are you going to do when everyone is gone? Athens must be a ghost town!" Well naive student, you couldn't be more wrong! Life goes on in Athens even when you aren't here, and some might argue it is even better! There is parking EVERYWHERE and never a wait at restaurants. We still get great music and June means AthFest! AthFest is an arts and music festival that happens at the end of June and highlights local artists and musicians. Downtown is transformed and there are tons of outdoor shows and activities. To learn more check out their website: http://athfest.com/
And while we are talking about living in a college town I would like to suggest some reading to any higher education nerds. The American College Town is a book by Blake Gumprecht that I read in grad school and absolutely loved. Gumprecht is actually a geography professor that has a special appreciation for college towns. Athens is ALL OVER his book and is highlighted in the chapter "Paradise for Misfits."
With the end of the school year comes the closing of my building. All 900 freshmen women move out and I get the pleasure, along with my boss, to go through all the rooms that have damage and document things. Eight floors and five hours later, I am $1.20 richer from picking up spare change off the floor. I am amazed every year at how messy some of these people are. Honestly, how long do you have to leave a piece of paper on the floor for it to adhere itself permanently to the ground?!  And who thought it was a good idea to stick gum all over the wall next to their bed?!
When I'm not surveying damage I am saying goodbye to the seniors of our building. Two of my students are graduating this year, but will be returning to Athens in the fall! Last year was the 225th anniversary of UGA and they had fireworks at graduation, that's going to be tough to beat this year. I am sure however, there will be plenty of celebrating downtown tonight!!!!

Things I am looking forward to this summer...

Things I am looking forward to this summer:

Going to the pool-- Just saw they filled up the pool earlier this week, can't wait for long Saturdays reading and working on my tan (which is a huge joke because I just burn)!

Yes friends, this is the actual pool I go to!

Hangout Fest in Gulf Shores-- Good friends, good music, the beach.... what more could a girl ask for? Less than a week away, and a much needed break from work!

I know you are jealous of this line up!

My Memorial Day Trip Home-- I haven't lived in my parents house in over 5 years, but I still refer to it as home. I can't wait to be on the deck swing, beer in hand and food on the grill. I am sure I will be finalizing a lot of wedding plans during this trip, but hopefully I will also get to see some of my best friends too!!

Furbabies enjoying the deck!

The Regional Entry Level Institute at Duke-- I will be making a triumphant return to the great state of North Carolina to attend the South East Association of Housing Officers Regional Entry Level Institute. I am so excited to meet some new Housing folks and learn more about my profession! I also hope to see some friends from Duke and NC State that I haven't seen in awhile!

Fireworks and the Fourth of July-- I will admit I have been spoiled growing up outside Washington DC. The fireworks on the Mall are wonderful and my family usually watches from our boat on the Potomac. You can pull right up to the Washington Monument and see the show. Since this is the wedding weekend I think we will just hang around for the show (and I heard Athens canceled the fireworks, budget cuts!)

Dad grilling on the back of the boat by the Washington Monument (not pictured)

Last, and certainly not least, marrying the man I LOVE!

Kyle playing the ukulele :)

~ Megan

BombBombsBombs

Yesterday was my seventh month anniversary with Kyle. Yes, I am like a high schooler that celebrates month anniversaries! We count our anniversary from our first date, which was to a concert at the 40 Watt in Athens. So what better way to celebrate seven months then by ANOTHER concert at the 40 Watt. Coincidentally one of my students is in a band, BombsBombsBombs! and they were playing at the 40 Watt last night. They just released a CD, yall should check them out http://bombscubed.tumblr.com/ Their self described genre is Alliterative Alternative Indie. I think they are a lot of fun live and had a great night at one of my favorite venues in Athens!

In wedding news, out invitations were ordered and the guest list was finalized this week. The wedding and reception are at a winery in Virginia. The invitations are supposed to look like wine labels. We are also using our monogram/ initals as a theme, so I was happy when my mom and Jen found these. The colors are green, ivory and brown. So this invitation was a win win. Now I just need them to come in so I can send them out!

Sample of the invitation form Paper Divas

I think that has been the hardest part of this whole process. Kyle and I originally talked about eloping to Savannah GA, but that changed when I expressed wanting my family to be there. And then the list just kept growing. We are still having an extremely small wedding. But if we were to invite all our family, our friends and other people we would want you are looking at over 200 people. I admire my friends that have had weddings of 150+, I have no idea how you did it. I'm going crazy with 30 people! And I really appreciate all that my mom and pseudo wedding planner Jen have done for me!!

p.s. In 12 days I am going to Gulf Shores Alabama for Hangout Fest with two of my favorite people (Brianna and Briana). Hangout Fest is a three day music festival ON THE BEACH! I can't wait to spend some time with good friends and good music! Check out the line up here http://hangoutmusicfest.com/ A lot of the people playing Hangout are also playing Bonnaroo, and if you ask me the beach is a much better location than a muddy field in the middle of Tennessee. We are staying in a condo with running water, not a tent and using a communal shower, GROSS! But now I need to go find a new bathing suit for our trip to the beach. YAY shopping!

p.p.s. Happy Mother's Day weekend!

M.A.D.ness

I have debated starting a blog for awhile. I have some great friends that blog and have really enjoyed being able to read about their lives even though I don't get to see or talk to them often. I also realized it is a great way to chronicle your life and share with so many different people.
I really wanted to start this blog though to help make sense of some of the madness in my life. I got engaged in March and quickly my life got busier than I have ever been (and I am known for my crazy schedule). I realized the other day that my new initials spell M.A.D. and I thought that was appropriate for the madness that is my life. I am excited for the new chapter about to start in my life. It becomes more real everyday.
My fiance Kyle and I recently had our engagement pictures taken by the very talented Kristin Boggs. We took them in downtown Athens, because we both LOVE our city. Kyle and I only dated five months before we got engaged, so these are some of the only pictures we have of each other and I am so happy with how they turned out.

I hope to use this blog to share my experiences as: a partner, a student affairs professional, sorority advisor, Athenian, advocate and all the other roles I play! I want to share resources, perspectives and everyday happenings. Some people argue that our culture hides behind technology, afraid to connect with others. But I think that it is through technology we can expand our sphere of influence and help connect to others.

In bloggerhood,

The Furture Mrs. D