needtobreathe

This weekend we took a trip to Richmond to see one of my all-time favorite bands. 

A couple weeks ago, Needtobreathe put on a contest through Tunespeak. And I won. 

I got 2 free tickets to the show of my choice on their Stomping Grounds Tour, as well as a signed CD and a meet & greet with the band.

I was kind of ecstatic. Lots of squeals, excitement, anticipation.

Saturday was the day. We had already been to 4 concerts, so we knew how great they were. They're unbelievable live, and their new record is due sometime at the end of this year/beginning of next year. 

The best part about this tour is that they decided to play really small venues in the south, sort of to pay homage to some of their favorite clubs that helped them get started, and also because the experience of live music in an intimate setting is hard to beat. 

Enter: the Canal Club in Richmond, VA.

It's tucked away in this really cool, industrial-type cove in downtown Richmond.
We got there really early to get in the VIP line, and the place was pretty much deserted, save for the handful of other souls on the other side of the building waiting to get in.
We took a few minutes to take these photos and to just kind of breathe in the coolness of it all.

Tee (shop!): Needtobreathe, Purse (shop!): Target, Boots (shop!): Urbanog

My outfit is a hodgepodge of gifts and hand me downs.
The dress is one I got from my best friend's closet years ago (with her permission), the leather jacket and the boots are amazing gifts from my mom, and the tank top is actually a Needtobreathe souvenir from the last concert we went to in Charlotte.
I wanted to wear something of the band, while still staying true to the spirit of Frocktober.
It's a pretty funky outfit, but I kind of loved it.

The concert itself was indescribable.
Definitely a high point of my year. Like I said, we've seen them before -- this was our fifth Needtobreathe concert. We have been able to see them every tour since I first fell in love with their music in college -- the first concert we went to was when they were on tour with Train, and Dusty surprised me with tickets for my birthday.
This time was so powerful though, so close (as in, we couldn't hear once we left), so amazing.

The opening band was called Ivan and Alyosha, and I highly recommend giving them a listen! Their albums are on Spotify. Their drummer was at another show that night, so they did the entire set acoustically, and it was pretty incredible. (Have a listen here, here and here!)
We got to talk to them after the show, and they're definitely some of our new favorites! Hopefully we'll get to see them in concert again soon.
And obviously, if you don't know of Needtobreathe...listen to them asap! Start with their new album and work your way backwards.

They wouldn't allow us to bring our camera in (even though everyone else just had smaller cameras hidden in their purse), so the only pictures I have are from my phone, except for the last one of us with Needtobreathe at the meet & greet before the show!
I will never forget it!

a foggy day in london town

There's so much to say about the one and only London, England.

The first day of our trip was spent sightseeing, keeping warm, oohing and aawing and exploring the city.
While this is just a taste of our first day (feel free to visit my personal blog for more), it was truly a magical experience!

Dress: Ruche, Jacket: Gifted, 
Pants: Kohl's, Vera Wang (shop!), Purse: Target, 
Booties: Urbanog (shop!), Earrings: A Child of Whimsy on Etsy

How could I not wear my amazing leather coat on our jaunty trek through London?
Right before we left, I was thrilled to find the perfect little lavender shoulder bag at Target on clearance for $7!
Target is such a great place to look for wardrobe staples and little things to bolster up your closet. Their clearance sections are always a win for me!

It was so cold and dreary (it actually snowed that weekend!) so I was extra glad I had brought some extras for layering!

I've always been pretty hesitant about turtle necks, but this one was my lifesaver. 

I have now vowed to bridge any gap between me and the high-neck blouses, and purchase a few more for such winter weather fashion emergencies.

I've also fallen in love with this pair of asymmetrical earrings that I purchased from a friend of mine on Etsy. Her shop is called A Child of Whimsy and she always has sweet items for sale!

One of the highlights for us was going up in the Eye of London.

The views of the city were incredible. Such a magical moment!

Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Eye of London...
We definitely had an amazing first day!

Hopefully you won't tire of trip outfit posts, as those will be dominating the blog for a little while! :)
The weather was freezing, layering was a challenge, and my trusty old black coat became my daily staple.
But it was still a grand adventure!

Until next time!

leaving on a jet plane

Four days from now, I will be on a plane for London, England.

Dustin and I are taking a grand adventure to London and Paris, for a romantic getaway that will include shopping, snacking on crepes and baguettes, sight-seeing, fine cuisine and lots and lots of pictures!
I honestly can't wait to do an outfit photo shoot in front of the Eiffel Tower.

In planning for this trip, I'm realizing how much there is to see around Europe. It's absolutely daunting.
I have four days to pull myself together, finish packing, and figure out all the must-sees of our adventure!

Dress: Gifted, Top: J. Crew, Jacket: Gifted, 
Necklace: Cookie Lee (teal), Lia Sophia (gold), 
Shoes: Bought in Ireland

Testing myself for the overcast days overseas, I tried out some layering with my amazing leather jacket last week.
Unfortunately, I almost froze to death on this photo shoot, and quickly realized that my Arizona blood is still very much attuned to warm weather. I'm going to need much warmer clothing for the 40 and 50 degree rainy weather we'll be having!

I've been closely following (and getting advice from!) Melina from The Caffeinated Closet.
She took some very similar trips (check out her travel section on her blog), and even has a "creative layering" section that I've been using to take some notes for my suitcase. :)

If any of you have any further tips or outfit ideas, please feel free to comment!

And in the mean time, keep up with my Instagram for photo updates on our trip.
We'll be posting at least one photo per day of our experience, and I look forward to posting some outfit photos when we return!

Wish me luck with my packing endeavors!!