Erin and I have been looking forward to this day since March. Needless to say, it was a very long 6 months of waiting. Then out of no where, it was September 19th.
I get off work at 4:30 but she gets off at 5, so I was just going to swing by the bank and meet her at her house BUT then our boss (at the last minute) let her leave with me. Hurray! Once we got to her house, we got right to business. I helped her burn some CDs I had made her onto her iTunes, tried to update her iTunes, changed into jeans, and went braid crazy. She requested I braid her hair for the show and since I'm all about braids I was more than happy to do so. I gave her about three or four options until we both agreed that the double french braid in a pony tail was the best way to go. She looked amazing! She was all "Can you just come over every morning and braid my hair before work?". Honestly if I could I probably would. I added a side braid to my own head and we were off.
Middle braid. // Side fishtail.
Charles was awfully cuddly while we got ready. // Enjoying Erin's full length mirror.
We decided to eat Pita Pit for dinner before the show started at 8PM. It was my very first time there. I've always wanted to give it a shot but never have for whatever reason. It's basically Subway with fresher meats and a larger variety of toppings and sauces. I got the chicken breast on a whole wheat pita with lettuce, tomato, sprouts and honey mustard. It was DELICIOUS. I'm a fan and I plan on going there on a regular basis. I might even talk Dustin into trying it out one of these days but I won't hold my breath on that one.
Pita's are my new jam. // This picture does not do the moon/sky justice but had to try!
After Pita, we stopped by Starbucks and I helped introduce Erin to the Pump Spice FRAP. She never knew it was an option but I didn't either until last weekend. The plaza (located across the street from UCF) was insanely cramped and busy. That whole side of town is just so hectic. Fucking university life, huh?
We parked, went pee, Erin got a beer and we were in our seats by 7:50PM. We thought there might be some random opening band before Tegan and Sara but thankfully we were wrong. T&S came right on at 8PM sharp and as you can tell from the video below we were seriously pumped. They played for an hour and were incredible. Their voices were perfect and they told the funniest stories (about Disney and another about a monkey). Also, it was their birthday which was neat. The thing that boggled my mind (and Erin's too) was that only a few random people out of the entire arena were standing up singing and dancing along to their set. We were of course part of that group. Even if the audience weren't familiar with their music, they put on a good show. Everyone just sat in their seats, talking about who broke up with whom, playing on their phones, not even paying attention like a bunch of fucking zombies. Get up and have a good time! I just don't get people. It didn't effect Erin and I though. We stood up and sang and danced our hearts out. Zombies can't hold us down.
FUN. came on at 9:30PM and played for an hour and a half. And like T&S, they sounded fantastic. Just like their CDs. They had so much personality and pizazz and were an all around pleasure to watch. Serious FUN! Ha. They didn't play 'Out On The Town' which was a bit of a bummer but that's OK.
We stayed for the entire show and then played the always annoying game of being herded out of the venue like cattle. We were already hurting. Sore and sweaty from standing and dancing. Throats dry and croaky from singing. But we felt so good. We just walked to my car laughing and smiling. High on fucking life.
We had to climb up 4 flights of stairs to the top of the parking garage and then sat in my car for another 30ish minutes waiting in a long line of cars to leave said parking garage. Sure, it was annoying. Yes, we were exhausted. But we just made the best of it. I turned up some music in my car and we kept rocking out.
Erin and I always joke about how we are old ladies/grannies etc. No, we aren't really that OLD (at all) but we are well aware that we aren't exactly 18 anymore either. We get up early every day, work 40+ hrs a week, in bed by 10PM every single night, rather binge watch TV shows than club it up, give anyone 21 and under the side eye with their crazy music/fashion, & can only schedule so many extracurricular activities per week or we'll have an anxiety attack. So, for us to be out on the town on a Thursday was stepping way out of our comfort zone. But sometimes that is just the ticket...and it was. I can't remember the last time I have laughed so hard. Or just completely let go as much as I did that night. It felt like it was just me, Erin, and the bands. No one else mattered. It was us and the music and we let it take us away to a magical place. I think I can speak for both of us when I say we felt like kids again. You know the feeling of having all the time in the world, not worrying about anything, no responsibilities, just being in the moment? Yeah, THAT. I don't mind being in my late twenties. I really don't. I've mostly enjoyed the aging process. But I've got to admit it's really fun to kind of travel back in time temporarily to an older yet younger version of myself.
Of course all good things must come to an end. And end they did when I crawled into bed around 1AM - body aching, eyes hurting from being open so long. I was quickly reminded how old I really am when the following morning I woke up at the time I usually leave for work. NOT GOOD. I can't even remember the last time I overslept. It's probably been years. I rolled over, looked at my phone, and after realizing the time, screamed "FUCK!" and ran into the shower. I distinctly remember setting my alarm before bed. However, I DO NOT remember turning my alarm off and falling back to sleep later that morning. Whoops! I was out the door in 15 minutes flat. I stopped for breakfast and got to work only 10 minutes late. I have no idea how I managed to pull that off. Maybe I have the ability to bend time and space and didn't even realize it. But since I had to rush around like a mad person I felt off the entire day. I need that "me" time in the morning to just sit, watch TV and eat breakfast. Plus, my entire body still hurt.
WORTH IT.
* * * * *
The last time I saw a show at the UCF Arena was in 2005. I went with Dustin and Erin.
And we saw Jack's Mannequin.
The band that opened up for them was The Format which of course was Nate Ruess's band before FUN. I remember the three of us standing on the floor and there were barely anyone in the stands. Dustin leaned down to us and asked if we had heard them before. We hadn't but we loved them. Both Erin and I ran out and bought Interventions + Lullabies right away. It's still one of our favorite CDs ever.
It's just so funny how life comes full circle sometimes. Back then Dustin and I were just starting out and now we're married. Back then Erin and I were working together at a completely different job and now all these years later we're working together again and more importantly are still great friends.
WARNING: The following video contains a lot of screaming and bad singing.