Butterflies, guitars, and a glow stick

I am a concert fanatic - not to the extreme of Beatle Bob, but I see a live concert about as often as I do a load of laundry. I have a passion for music and I love seeing musicians perform live. I get just as excited about a little-known local band as I do for a main-stream band like U2. Granted, bands like U2 are often less accessible and visit St. Louis less frequently, but the point is that I truly appreciate a good show, no matter how famous the headliner is.

Last week I had the extreme privilege of seeing one of my all time favorite (and better known) bands perform. Coldplay made their way to St. Louis and gave an unforgettable concert to thousands of screaming fans. Lead singer, Chris Martin, repeatedly showed his appreciation to the fans for sacrificing time and money to spend the evening with him (quite the sacrifice of time, right?). Considering Coldplay's ridiculously busy tour schedule, the guys did not show one ounce of fatigue or boredom. Martin jumped around stage like a free-spirited five year old child and never missed a word or note. He connected with the audience by playing a few songs at stages located near the back of the venue, and even reacted to words shouted by the crowd. At times, it felt as if it was their final show and they wanted to make the best of every single moment. It was absolutely inspiring and energizing.

Below are several photos from the show (credit to JRN):

I anticipated that I would love every second of this show, but it exceeded my expectations when they played one of my favorite songs, "Lovers in Japan." For this song, thousands of small colorful paper butterflies gently dropped over the audience and powerful images flashed on the large screen. It was a personal experience that is difficult to explain in words, but it felt as if something in my soul was ignited and wanted to burst. Incredible.

Viva

And to top it all off, like a giddy little girl, I gushed over catching a glow stick that Chris threw out during the show. Hmm . . . now what do I do with it?

A long overdue post

As I pulled up my blog this morning, I could hardly believe that it had been over two months since I last posted. Chances are that I've lost whatever small number of readers I did have. I seem to have put this blog on the backburner and taken more interest in reading others' own thoughts, stories, and pictures on their blogs. It is funny how blogging has become a trend among so many friends. Most of my friends blog for purposes of keeping friends and family up to date on their personal happenings. Other friends blog on academic, politcal, and social topics. No matter what the purpose of an individual's blog, I find each one thought-provoking and often inspiring. There is something very different about a blog than say an e-mail, letter, or even a Facebook page. Generally speaking, it seems like more thought and detail goes into a blog post, verus a status update or photo posting on a social networking website. A blog post requires careful thought and sometimes research. A blog is typically less formal and more opinionated than a published article or newsletter. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this, other than to say that I thoroughly enjoy the world of blogging - not so much the writing part, but more so the reading of others' thoughts, research, and happenings.

If you get anything out of this silly little post (not that you need to), I hope you are encouraged to continue blogging (however often or rarely that may be), or possibly consider beginning a blog. I cannot promise that I will update weekly, or even monthly, but I plan to continue this blog. The original intentions of this blog were to share about my experiences in Belfast, Northern Ireland. These days, I'm not completely sure what the purpose is, but for now, it seems to be a venue for a glimpse into the life of Lindsey. So for now, enjoy.

Going Green

This weekend I went green in a big way.

Yowza! I love it, but I'm still adjusting to it . . .

In other news, I have a new nephew! Jayden Mark was born on May 14th! Another boy makes it even: Nieces - 4 Nephews - 4. I love being an Auntie!

Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks ...

It's that glorious time of year again. Reunited with old friends and new. Sitting in a sea of red. Crowded concourses. Over-priced beer and hot dogs. The cap dance. Singing vendors. Mile-long bathroom lines. That one guy. Seventh inning stretch. The crack of a bat. Standing ovations for Pujols. Fireworks. Chaos in the downtown streets. Post-game parties at Shannon's and Patty O's.

My favorite time of year has officially begun. Baseball season is in full swing!

Opening Ceremony on Monday afternoon:

That one guy is back:

Miranda and me cheering the Cards' on in the cold:

Just Another Day in Lafayette Square

On Thursday, I arrived home from work to find the street full of trucks, wires, spotlights, fake snow, and generators. I found the closest parking spot and then naively asked one of the men working what was going on. He replied, "Ma'am, they are filming a movie here tomorrow night. All I can say is that "he" will be here around 7pm." What?! Immediately, I knew he was referring to the film "Up in the Air" starring George Clooney.

On Friday night, I returned home from work to trailers, trucks, and people everywhere. Neighbors walking their dogs, simply hoping for a sneak peek of the action. I can't lie - I was one of them. I spent a good chunk of the evening chatting with neighbors just outside the yellow tape. I saw them film the same scene (Clooney walking across the street) about 5 times and then found myself bored. It's amazing how long it takes to film one 10 second scene. All in all, it was fun to get a little taste of Hollywood on Whitmoore.

The scene in front of my apartment:

The line of trailers on Missouri Ave:

You know what they say, 'Everything in Hollywood is fake.' - that would be fake snow.

Vera Farmiga (The Departed) -in purple - and her family:

The neighbors set up chairs and hosted a party to view the filming:

The view out my kitchen window. Spotlights on til 2am for filming.

What a strange experience. I cannot believe the amount of time, money, and work that goes into filming a short scene for a movie. What a production! But yay for Lafayette Square making it on the big screen!

The Family that Parties

My family is so large that we are literally ALWAYS celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and other accomplishments. More recently, we had a party to celebrate Julee (2), Christpher (2), and Dylan's (1) birthdays because they are all within a couple weeks.

Julee and Christopher turned 2 years old this month:

Sweet little Dylan turned 1 on April Fool's Day.
And in a few weeks, we hope to be celebrating the birth of another baby boy! - along with 2 more birthdays and an anniversary. :)

www.TOMSshoes.com

Why didn't I think of this?! What a great idea!

For those of you who haven't heard of TOMS shoes, you should definitely check it out. And if you HAVE heard of TOMS, check out their new Spring line and buy a pair.

http://www.tomsshoes.com/

TOMS shoes has given more than 60,000 pairs of shoes to children in need around the world in the last 3 years. This has been possible because of their "buy a pair, give a pair" mission. With every pair of shoes bought, TOMS shoes donates a pair to a needy child. What a fabulous idea!

Hey "Tom", could LINDSEYSsocks join your mission?