Rascal Flatts Concert!

So yesterday was just a normal weekend day for Robert and I, as we settle into our new lives in San Diego.  Robert had some reading and research to do for a memo for law school, and I needed to get some cleaning done and run some errands. It was a productive day, and we were looking forward to going to a party that night. The family that I nanny for invited us to a promotion party for the dad, and we were pumped to go out with them, and hang out and make new friends.

 

Robert and I laid down for a little while in the afternoon after having a long morning of cleaning and studying, and we were trying to rest and maybe catch a few Z's. As we were laying there talking, I remembered Rascal Flatts was in San Diego and performing that night with Eli Young Band and Little Big Town.  I was sad because I LOVE Rascal Flatts, but I hadn't bought the tickets before because we are trying to cut back on extra expenses. Well....we got to wondering how much tickets would be, and started looking online. JUST TO LOOK... Well.... we both got a little pumped at the possibility of going, and caved. We got a great deal on tickets that weren't too far away from the stage either. Lawn seats were an option, but we preferred to be a little closer to the action, and be more comfortable.

 

So, at 3:30 pm we called the guy off Craigslist, went and met him, and BOOM, we had two tickets to the concert that was 3 1/2 hours away! We were soo excited, yet we felt a little rushed too. As we were browsing Craiglist for concert tickets, we had seen a party bus option to take to the concert. We looked into that, so that way we didn't have to drive all the way to Chula Vista (which is about 35 minutes south) when we had never been there before, and both wanted to relax and have a good time. So we talked to the party bus guy, and he told us it left from a bar down the street from us at 6 PM! Now we were even more pumped! We could bring alcohol on the party bus AND we didn't have to worry about drinking and driving, or traffic, or parking!

 

We hurried home and started getting ready. I was especially pumped because Rob has never been to a country concert before, and I've been telling him how much he would love it. When we first met, Rob said "I don't even think I've ever listened to an entire country song before." Well, over 4 years later, it's really growing on him! He's started liking Zac Brown Band, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, and of course Rascal Flatts. I was so excited that he was finally going to see them live, and enjoy their great performances.

 

So after the party bus being a little late, and us being very hot, and in desperate need of one of our ice cold beers in the ice chest we brought, we FINALLY got on the bus, and the party began! We didn't know anyone else, but after waiting for the bus with them for over half an hour, we had talked a little and everyone was really fun. It immediately got CRAZY! People were chugging cheap vodka from the bottle, beers were passed around, and the music was blasting with everyone singing and dancing. Rob and I just stuck to our beer we brought, kinda trying to take it slow, since it was going to be a long night. These people were so much fun, and it was funny for us to watch them get loose, because we didn't even know them!

 

 

 

We were worried we would miss the opening acts since the bus had been late, but luckily we made it there during the first performers. It was a great outdoor venue, called Cricket Amphitheatre. It reminded us of going to Marysville at Sleeptrain Amphitheatre for concerts back home. The hills in the background were beautiful, and I was thankful we didn't have to drive all the way out here!

 

We saw Eli Young Band and Little Big Town open for Rascal Flatts. They were amazing. Robert really liked Eli Young Band, and I was so happy they played "Crazy Girl." I'm not so sure the people around us were happy, since I was singing it at the top of my lungs too haha. He also liked Little Big Town (especially the brunette singer) and enjoyed the song "Tornado." I was so happy that the concert started out so great, and he kept saying, "Can you believe we're about to see Rascal Flatts?" We were beyond excited, especially beacuse it was so last minute, and unexpected.

 

We even met up with our new friend Gianna before Rascal Flatts came out, and had a few minutes to snap a few pics! Love her. We had a little bit of a camera malfunction so these are the only ones that looked halfway decent.

 

When Rascal Flatts came out it was amazing! The buildup of adrenaline was so awesome, and I was screaming and jumping up and down. Robert got really into it, too, and we had such a good time. They played so many of my favorite songs, like "Mayberry" "Life is a Highway" "Here Comes Goodbye" and many many many more! It was such a great performace, and I got tons of amazing pictures. Some other great highlights of the show were the fact that they brought two little girls on stage to sing and dance with them, they paid tribute to the troops by singing the Star Spangled Banner, and an audience member proposed to his girlfriend on stage! It was so romantic and beautiful. They got to dance on stage while Rascal Flatts sang, so obviously she said YES! Overall, it was such a great night, and even though we missed the party we were supposed to go to, I just couldn't pass up a great opportunity to see my favorites while they were in town.

 

The Camozzi Wedding!

 

So it's been a few days since the wedding happened....and I am finally going to blog about Gina and Stephen's beautiful day! To be honest, Robert and I are still recovering a little bit. It was quite the weekend.

 

 

Gina Avalos and Stephen Camozzi got married at Lake Natoma Inn in historic Folsom on Saturday, September 8, 2012. It was such a perfect day for a wedding, and we are so happy we got to witness such a special event.  We arrived to the wedding site at around 5:15, and the ceremony began at 5:30. It was a beautiful outside ceremony, with sparkles and little touches of beauty all around. It was so great to see so many familiar faces around us, especially since we've been gone for a couple months now.  Many people commented on Robert's beard being grown out (and it was only growing for 3 weeks!). He loved all the great compliments he got!

 

 

When the wedding began, Stephen walked out with sunglasses on, looking so handsome with his hair combed and neat.  He definitely looked nervous, but also so excited and happy at the same time.  As the bridal party began walking out, I realized "wow this is actually happening!" Stephen and Gina have been together ever since I've known them, and many years before that. It was hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that they were finally becoming man and wife! As soon as Gina started walking out, you could see how happy she was, with tears rolling down her face. It brought back memories of my wedding day, and I couldn't imagine how overwhelming, yet great, it must feel to have so many people watching you. People from all areas of your life are standing there, waiting for you to walk down the aisle, and marry the love of your life. I bet it was all catching up to her at once.   As she walked down the aisle Stephen looked soo happy. You could tell he was getting choked up seeing her, because she looked AMAZING. Gina is always beautiful, but today she truly was gorgeous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ceremony was so typical of Gina and Stephen's relationship.  They both had microphones on, so we could hear very clearly when they were speaking, mumbling, or whispering to one another.  Gina's uncle T.J. officiated the ceremony, which made it all that more personal for them.  Since he knew Gina and Stephen already, you could see it was difficult at times for him to keep his composure. Gina and Stephen were so playful, sassy, funny, yet heartfelt and honest that it was so entertaining to watch! I am so glad that Robert and I were able to fly up and see this, because the pictures wouldn't have done it justice. 

 

 

After the ceremony, the reception was amazing! Great good, lots of friends, and lots of alcohol flowing.  Not only was the music amazing, but I feel like everyone was dancing the whole time! The bride and groom gave glow stick glasses to everyone to wear, which was a quirky and fun gift to have. Everyone from young to old was wearing them, shaking there booty to the wide variety of music. From "Bitty Bitty Bum Bum", to "Call Me Maybe", to "Friends in Low Places." WHAT A NIGHT! Stephen and Gina made an effort to walk around to everyone and make them feel noticed and appreciated, which was really nice. It was such a fun night, that I'm sure everyone will remember.  And if not...I've got the pictures to remind them!

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS MR. & MRS. CAMOZZI! ROBERT AND I WISH YOU A LIFETIME OF HAPPINESS!!

 

 

The Avalos-Camozzi Wedding Weekend!

 

Well....the time is finally here for our good friends, Gina Avalos & Stephen Camozzi, to tie the knot! These two amazing people have been dating over 9 years. Since they got engaged last Spring, it has been the wedding that everyone is waiting to attend. These two people share so much love, and are great people to call close friends.

 

 

They love each other so much!

Robert and I planned for this wedding months in advance.  We knew we wanted to fly up to Sacramento for it, because driving is just such a long endeavor from San Diego.  We flew up Thursday, September 6th for the wedding, and after many delays, finally made it around 11 pm at night.  Brittany Banning picked us up, and so far it has been a great time.

Driving to the airport in San Diego

 

Yesterday we just spent the day relaxing, and catching up with everyone.  Our friends Gregg and Kate Anderson had their first little bundle of joy last month, and we had been dying to meet the little man.  After meeting up with my dad for breakfast, the Anderson's came over so we could meet Miles Henry Anderson.  He was so precious! We hung out and had lunch at the house, and marveled at this little miracle that Gregg and Kate created.  He was such a good baby! And absolutely handsome.  It was so great to see this couple's creation, and hear about how much Miles has enhanced their life.  I loved holding him, and am so glad we got to see him since he won't be at the wedding this weekend.

Look at this precious little boy!

The boys messing around with football headsets at the Banning house lol

 

Friday night we went to Stephen's mom's house, and saw a lot of his family members.  It was great to see Angela Senigaglia, her husband, and boys, and to see the love and excitement that this family has for the union of Gina and Stephen. After having some delicious food and a couple drinks, we thought it was appropriate to let the family spend some quality time together, so we left and met up with Ryan and Kristina for dinner later on.  It's spontaneous nights like these that are the best! Robert, Ryan, Kristina, Brittany, and I had such a fun night remembering the good ol days of growing up! We reminisced about childhood tv shows  we all loved (like Saved By The Bell, Gummy Bears, Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers, etc) and old songs we grew up loving (like Bone Thugs n Harmony). It. Was a great time filled with laughter.  Unfortunately Jordan couldn't be with us because he was coaching a Folsom High School football game in Roseville. What a great day it was!

The girls at dinner

 

To give you all a little background information about the bride and groom, we have to take a little trip down memory lane.  Robert has been friends with Stephen since they were in Junior Peewee football together as children.  They attended high school together, and always knew they would be lifetime friends. Even when I first met Robert over 4 years ago, he told me about his good friends Gina & Stephen, and how they were totally gonna get married some day.  Stephen and Robert have lived together before, and gone through the ups and downs of life together.

Gina and Stephen

 

When Robert and I started dating, it was a bit scary to meet "the group" of friends.  All the boys have been friends for many years, and the girlfriend and wives are all friends too.  These people have become some of my best friends, and I know will always be there for us, no matter where we live, or what happens.  It is quite an extensive group of boys, including Jordan Banning, Gregg Anderson, Ryan McCracken, Mike Cuevas, Chris Boyle, Kris Kreeger, Pat Ainsworth, Brad Willock, and Brandon Wessman.  The girls include Brittany Banning, Kristina Robertson, Kate Anderson, Morgan Wessman, Melanie Heimburg, Alysia Miller, Emily Cardamon, Elisa Avalos, and Amanda Angelo, just to name a few.  This group of men and women are such a great group, that makes me so blessed to be apart of .  When I married Robert I not only married him and his family, but this group of friends, who  essentially are our extended family now.

Love these two

Congrats to Gina and Stephen, we cannot wait to witness this special commitment and day! We love you both so much!

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Chloe with her new auntie!

So, Labor Day weekend is almost over, at least for Robert and I. Boy, has it been a long one.  Tuesday afternoon I went and got my hair done (which was LONG past due) by a friend of a friend, Gianna Senigaglia. I had never met her, but after hanging out with Angela a couple of weeks ago, she recommended Gianna (her sister-in-law) to do it.  I am pretty picky about getting my hair done, always wanting it super blonde. Angela said not only does Gianna do a really great job on blondes, but she's my age, too, and the salon she works at is right down the street from where we live in PB. PERFECT! Plus, Angela said we are very similar, and thought we would hit it off as friends too! BOY WAS SHE RIGHT! I love my freshly trimmed, super blonde hair, and even better, I LOVE Gianna. We talked and talked the whole time, and I knew we hit it off right away. So I know I am kinda lame over how excited I was to have met Gianna, but it is always kind of awkward for me to make new friends. I told Rob it felt like I was dating someone, thinking to myself "what if she doesn't like me?" haha, I know, I'm a dork. Anyway, Gianna and I decided to get together for Happy Hour Thursday afternoon, and went to PB Alehouse (YUM!) It was so great to have some girl time, and just learn about one another, and have fun. Well, 4 hours later when Rob was out of class, he called me to see where I was, and I told him we were still at Happy Hour. He came and joined us, and it was a total blast. I told Rob, "I love her, I'm so happy we met each other!" We laughed and shared stories about everything under the sun, and it was such a good time!

Gianna and Chloe!

 

 

Friday was a relaxing day spent sleeping in, talking, and having quality time with one another. It felt so great to not have Rob get up and leave for school super early, or have me go to work. I actually started nannying for a family this week, so I had been getting up pretty early and working a lot too. The family hired me full time, but the first couple weeks I am going to try and slowly transition from part time into full time, to learn about the kids and have them get used to me. I still plan on working at BJ's, but I am excited to have a schedule that is a little more cohesive with Robert's schedule during the week. Friday evening we went to the family's house for a birthday party for the older kid that I nanny for, who was turning 3! Even though we didn't really know anyone, it was great to get out and socialize and meet new people. Plus, I was glad Robert got to meet the family, and see where I work. After the birthday party, we went to Bar Review to meet up with people from Robert's law school. We got there kinda early and it was really dead, and we didn't recognize anyone. A little while later it was packed, and I got to meet some of Robert's classmates. It was nice to talk to them to see how they're adjusting to this new crazy life, and also to meet their significant others, so I could compare stories with what it's like to be the supporter of the law student. We met a few different couples that we really like, and I look forward to getting to know them better, and becoming friends!

 The little boys that I watch now! I love them!

 

 

On Saturday Robert slept in, and I went to hang out at the salon Gianna works at, because Angela was down from Oceanside to get her hair done.  It was fun to hang out with these ladies, and Angela was super happy to find out that we hit it off! After Angela got her hair done, we went to lunch, at PBAlehouse, and it was so delicious. I know it sounds like I'm obsessed with this place, but it is right by the beach, has great specials, and is dog friendly! We all got bloody mary's, and they were AMAZING! Probably the best I've ever had.  It was nice to spend the morning with friends :) When I got home, Robert said our friends Jordan and Britt Banning were in town for a wedding, so we went to meet up with them for a little bit at a restaurant by the beach called World Famous. Robert said he loved this place, because when he was at Stephen's bachelor party, they ate and drank at this place a lot. It has an awesome view of the ocean from inside the restaurant, and I had another really good bloody mary. The rest of the afternoon we just spent relaxing, until we went to our friend's BBQ that night.

 

 

Robert's friend Tom Curl, and his wife, just moved down to San Diego as well.  Robert and Tom graduated from USF together, and became really great friends. It was even better news when we found out that Tom was going to be moving to San Diego for law school when we were. He is attending Thomas Jefferson Law School, so it is great for Robert to get another person's perspective on beginning this journey. I had never met his wife Denise yet, so when they invited us over for a BBQ, I was excited to get to hang out with another couple. They actually even offered to watch Chloe for us when we head back up to Sac next week for our friend's wedding. We brought Chloe with us, to make sure she got along with their two dogs, Max and Bailey.  What a fun night it was! It was so great to just relax outside and BBQ with friends. Denise is such a great lady, and Tom is hilarious. It is nice to be able to relate to one another because they are going through the same challenges and changes that Robert and I are facing. Denise even printed out some helpful tips and inspirational information and suggestions for how couples can support one another through this time.

 

We ate a delicious dinner, and then played a really fun game we called Love Connection. We each thought up questions that we had to ask our spouse, and both of the couple's answers must match exactly to earn a point. It was hard to think of quesitons at first, but then became really fun. One of my favorite questions that Denise asked the guys was, "What side of the bed does your spouse sleep on?" I thought this was an easy one, and that Robert and I would obviously get a point for this simple question. I wrote down "left" and then it was time for Robert to answer it, he said "right." I said, "No, I sleep on the left side!" He said, "No, if you're looking at the bed it's the right side!" haha, we are so competitive, I was mad we didn't get it right. Denise and Tom earned a point, because he said "the side closest to the bathroom," and that's what she had written down! It's funny how simple you think a question is, but how differently it can be interpreted. This game brought out a lot of funny stories, and we also got to learn a lot about each other, and it really tests how well you know your spouse! It was so great to hang out with another couple, and Chloe made a great impression! Tom and Denise both loved on her, and she got along well with Max and Bailey as well.

 

 

Today (Sunday) we got to sleep in and relax, before I headed to work a lunch shift at BJ's. Since Robert took a couple days off from studying, he spent the day reading and doing some law homework. Now we are probably just going to have a relaxing evening at home, and then spend tomorrow doing the same thing. Overall, it has been a really great week and weekend, and I am so thankful I got the nannying job, and Robert is loving law school. Even though it is a lot of work, it is so reassuring knowing he is enjoying what he is doing, which will make him want to work hard at it, and be successful! This upcoming week we will just be working and goint to school, and then heading to Sac Thursday night for Gina and Stephen's wedding this Saturday! We are so excited!

 This is a pic Robert sent me of him studying at school! So proud of him for putting in so much work already!

 

And below is a pic of some of the books in the law library....that's a lot of law books!