Storm Chasin'

Last night, we went to see Mat Kearney perform at Roy Wilkin's Auditorium. He is one of my very favorite artists for so many reasons. But the main reason is, 2 summers ago when my dad died suddenly...going to see Mat Kearney perform at the Basilica Block Party was the first fun thing I did after all the sad events surrounding my dad's death. I remember talking with Jason, debating whether or not I wanted to go or not. Getting ready and dressing in something other than comfy clothes seemed like a feat in and of itself. But we got to the concert and it was exactly what I needed.
At the time his CD "City of Black and White" had just come out and I really loved it. He played every song I needed to hear including some of his older stuff. I teared up many times throughout that concert because some of the lyrics really hit home and because he is just plain awesome.
At the end of the night, it downpoured and Jason and I just sat at the picnic tables outside the Basilica as everyone ran to their cars. The sky was gorgeous and it was a perfect end to the night. We sat there talking about my dad, our future lives together (we had just gotten engaged that Spring) and ended up forming one of those memories that you always think back to fondly. Both because it was healing for me and a great bonding time for Jason and me.

Unfortunately this isn't super clear but this is how the sky looked that night

 I am ever so thankful to Jason for being saavy enough to know that I'd want to go see Mat Kearney even if he was the opening act for a band I didn't want to see. He got these tickets for my birthday back in April. And that's exactly what happened last night....we found ourselves amongst kids that were likely all under the age of 16. They were all coming to see the band after Mat Kearney. It was funny because we found ourselves discussing how hard/interesting it would be to figure out the right age to let your kids go to something like that with just their friends...or how short of a skirt is ok to let your teenage daughter wear if you weren't there (yes, I know I wore many a short skirts in my day). It kind of made me feel old that this is what we think of when we see teenagers now, but it was also kind of fun to think about the future. Regardless, Mat Kearney was fabulous as usual and I got all teary-eyed again...big shock.

I've been waiting all summer for the right occasion to wear this dress!

Me and my cute man!

Mat Kearney

So wonderful

 He played so many of his old songs, some of our favorites from his last CD, and one from his new album that comes out this Tuesday...woohoo!
Here is a little snippit of one of his songs last night, Breathe In Breathe Out:

After that, we took a walk through Rice Park and made our way to Pazzaluna for some drinks and food. I think that has to be one of my favorite places. Fabulous fabulous food, and a very relaxing atmosphere. We just sat in the bar the whole time which was excellent!

As we were sitting at the table eating our food, we heard the storm sirens start wailing VERY loudly. I knew exactly what Jason was thinking. He wants to be a storm chaser on the side...not really my favorite of his hobby choices but I can't really stop him. I mean, you should see his eyes light up when he hears thunder. He immediately pulled out his phone and showed me and the waitress the weather map. I think he freaked her out a little : ). So we asked for our dessert to go and ran back through the park to try to make it home before the storm hit. Jason showed me this picture on his phone right as we got home and then proceeded to jump up and down asking if I wanted to go outside. You can understand my hesitation.

wanna chase storms????

So he ran outside and I said there was no way I was going out there. But after a few minutes with no rain I decided I needed to stop being a wet blanket and grab my camera and see what I could see. I think me walking outside made Jason's night. It was either that or when I agreed to drive around and check out the clouds/lightening from different lookout points. Yeah, I'm cool.

I made the exposure longer so you could see the sky light up a bit from the lightening

those are some freaky clouds!

This is when Jason decided to pop his head into my picture when the shutter was open for 30 seconds...he's kind of transparent! I like it!

he's intense

In the end, there was no tornadic activity (thank God!) much to Jason's dismay. But it did make for a nice end to a fabulous day. It seems that awesome storms follow Mat Kearney concerts...can't wait til the next time he comes to town : )