Allison's Wonderland

My Dad loves the song "Christmas Eve – Sarajevo” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Every time it comes on the radio during the Christmas season he gets really excited and turns it up as high as it will go. I had to pick my concert for December since this year has been dubbed, “The Year of the Concert” but nothing of interest had crossed the pages of the internet as I researched. Then I looked at the Greensboro, Coliseum and to my surprise the Trans-Siberian Orchestra was to perform on December 8th. I called Dad right away and asked if he would be interested in going. Of course he was, so I bought his ticket for him as part of his Christmas gift and we were ready to go. We drove to Greensboro, NC and ate at one of my favorite restaurants in the world, “Carrabbas”. The restaurant is an amazing Italian joint that has everything a foodie could ask for. I have been to Italy and have tasted the Italian food there, but honestly nothing can compare to Carrabba’s. That made me blasphemy but that is a statement I am willing to make. We got to the Greensboro Coliseum and got in pretty smooth although our seats were non-existent. For some reason our seats had disappeared. We were in the very last row on the floor and someone had simply gotten rid of our chairs. We got reseated but then we changed to better seats anyway where we could actually see. The guys in the group looked like they stepped out of the 80’s and there was so much “Hairography” as the show Glee creatively labeled the movement where all you do is flip your hair around, but all in all it was a good show. “Christmas Eve –Sarajevo” was my favorite number. Throughout the entire concert they did some pretty sick guitar runs, awesome violin sounds, and used plenty of fire machines. I enjoyed it immensely! I almost fell asleep on the way home, but decided to call Grandma B who is a night owl. She kept me awake while Dad snored in the passenger seat. Nice. We made it home safe and it was all worth it.

Thanksgiving in New York City. I’ve always wanted to do it and this year we finally did. We just got back today from our trip and I must say, I’m a little warn out. We left Tuesdy night after work and stayed the night in Clinton, New Jersey. It was actually a really nice hotel and me and Keri got to bond by being bed buddies. Those involved in the trip included, me, Dad, Bubkins, Jeanne, Taylor, Keri, and Sista. We met sista in NYC because she was already there on a youth ministries trip. We stayed in the Westin in Times Square and when we first got there it was a tad bit chaotic. People were everywhere and Dad was driving. Dad hates the city with a passion and throughout the entire trip he was constantly reminding the group of that fact. I have been to quite a few major cities in my lifetime and no matter how many I go too, New York is a place that stands above the rest. It’s a city that has a distinct personality which cannot be duplicated. I have been to cities which include San Francisco, Honolulu, D.C., Rome, New Orleans, Barcelona, Atlanta and Madrid but New York. New York is a place of its own. The day we arrived we headed downtown to the Financial district so Taylor could see where the World Trade Center’s use to stand. We also visited St. Peter’s Catholic Church which was so moving it brought tears to my eyes. We of course had to visit Canal Street and grab some knock off handbags and designer scarves for cheap. After that we headed to SOHO and checked out some of the neat little boutiques with weird looking outfits and outrageous price tags. We came back to Times Square and ate at a little Irish place before our show. It was pretty good. I got their Rueben and it was like 15 bucks and not half as good as Moosie’s at Smith Mountain Lake, but oh well. What can you do? That night we went and saw “A Little Night Music” onBroadway starring Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch. I really enjoyed it but Bubba and Sista were not impressed. It was a tad bit racy but I thought very well done. You just can’t please everybody I guess. Okay forget all the little details. Let me tell you our Thanksgiving story and then we’ll call it quits. This is long enough as is.
The seven of us were lucky enough to land reservations at the exclusive Boat House in Central Park. The Boat House is the venue featured in Katherine Hiegel’s “27 Dresses”. We left the Hotel at around 10:15 for our reservations at 11:00 in order to go uptown to 72nd Avenue. We were staying on 43rd. The subway system in New York can be a little confusing and frustrating if you’re unfamiliar with the layout. We were waiting to jump on the train that we knew would take us to the restaurant but Bubkins insisted that the train coming up would take us there as well, and when confirmed by a NYPD Officer we hopped on. We looked at the train map and sure enough it said it would take us to 72nd Street. After riding the train for about 15 minutes we notice less and less people on the train and the people getting on and off seem to get a lot shadier. After a thorough examination of the subway map we realize we’re headed to Queens and have made it halfway through the Hudson River. Instead of going to 72nd Avenue we were headed to 72nd STREET.Who knew? We all started panicking considering the fact that the reservation is at 11 o’clock and the Boat House is unforgiving when it comes to those who arrive late, slapping you with a $75 charge on your credit card for breaching your contract and loss of your reservation. Next stop we hop off and Dad is in a tizzy at this point fussing and cussing up a storm. By this time it’s 10:35 and we still have to ride the subway back and find the restaurant. We were unsure which stop to get off and asked Dad where to go. After debating whether or not to get off at Lafayette Street we decide that is where we needed to go. By this time we’d been stopped for at least minute and the doors started to close. Dad is prying the doors open with his arms as we all try to slide through. Keri is behind me pushing and screaming, “Go, go GO!” We all finally made it off and figured out where we are. Bubba has an iPhone that has been our saving grace on the trip. He types in the Boat House and it shows that we are 1.3 miles away. Meanwhile the females of the group are dressed up wearing heels and dresses for our nice Thanksgiving meal. By this time it’s 10:50. We have 10 minutes to run a mile so that we make it on time. Now, we’ve all been in P.E. class where the teacher has been torturous and every year, twice a year we poor little peons are made to run the mile. My best time in middle and high school was 12 minutes. So you see, we have a problem here. Ten minutes to run 1.3 miles. Twelve minutes best time in middle/high school. And remember, we’re in heels. So we book it. We’re running down the richest parts of New York City. We run through 5th Avenue, Madison Avenue, Park Avenue, all the really swanky, wealthy districts of New York. Also at this time the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is finishing. We have pedestrian traffic walking the opposite way we’re running. This doesn’t make for an easy run. It was kind of like the game Frogger. Jeanne and Keri are leading the way as Taylor, Kelsey, and I are in the middle, and Dad and Bubba bring up the rear. Also, we know the restaurant is in Central Park, but we don’t know where in Central Park. If you haven’t ever been, Central Park is huge. We’re all running following the iPhone and we see the Boat House in a clearing. We finally make it up to the hostess podium completely out of breath and looking like a bunch of sweating idiots. Keri’s huffing and puffing saying, “Upchurch…[deep breathing]…party of [deep breathing] seven.” Needless to say we made it.  Praise the Lord. And the meal only cost $742 bucks for seven people. YOWZERS! Will not be eating there anytime soon. I still owe Dad money. All in all it was a great trip. I got to see “Chicago” on Braodway with Keri Friday night, eat at Lombardi’s (New York’s first pizza joint), experience StarDust Café, visit the M & M store, go shopping on black Friday in Times Square and visit Hershey Park on the drive home. Totally successful trip. Gotta say, I just love living life. 

Last night was the big night. Jess and I drove down to Charlottesville, where Dave Matthews is originally from, and grabbed some dinner on the downtown mall at Eppie's. It was pretty good, but come to think of it we should have gone to Miller's since that's where Dave bartended. Oh well, should've thought about that a litte earlier. Anyway, we went to the chalk wall down there and took some pictures. There was this couple we met at Eppie's who had driven all the way from Detroit to see the band. Someone also wrote on the chalk wall saying they came from Russia to see them. Pretty crazy stuff. After eating we went to JPJ and got there pretty early. We walked around the first floor to see where all the VIP's were sitting. Our seats were pretty crappy so it was like we were the poor people just hanging around tryinig to see if anyone important would befriend us. Our master plan didn't work unfortunately. So we went to our crappy seats in Section 311 Row W. For some reason Jess was not willing to budge her butt because there were seats EVERYWHERE. During the Lady Gaga concert we were able to move to a better spot, but like I said Jess wouldn't have any of it. I was going to move somewhere by myself but I thought that might be a little rude. So we sat in the nose bleed section and enjoyed ourselves even if we were up a mile high. The band that opened was phenominal. They were called "Trombone Shorty" and when I got back that night I immediately downloaded their song, "Something Beautiful". It was a band that consisted mainly of horns, but they blew them things to high heaven. When Dave got onstage everyone went crazy. Charlottesville is his hometown so it makes sense that people would be ecstatic about him being back. I think Dave's Mom was even in the crowd He played all of the songs I wanted to hear like, "Satellite", "Proudest Monkey", and "Cornbread" but he didn't play "Crash" which was a huge disappointment. That is my absolute favorite song by him, but oh well. What's a gill to do? Jess and I were dancing and being stupid which is something that you always need to do anytime to you go to a concert. Overall it was amazing. The only thing that sucked was the drive home because we were so tired and the $20 bucks it cost us to park. Still trying to figure out my December concert so if you have any ideas...Let me know. :)

So I haven't written in awhile just because I have been a little busy with life. I am currently involved in our Church Christmas program which is eating up my life and I am in a Managerial Finance class for my Master's Program which is a bear. It's awful and I don't understand any of it. Like seriously. Anyway, back to stuff that is a little more interesting.
I’ve dubbed this year, “The Year of the Concert”, just because I want to see a new band every month. I listen to my music on my iPod or on the radio but there’s nothing like seeing a band live. My quest for concerts started in September with Lady Gaga at the John Paul Jones Arena. I already wrote about that in my previous post so I won’t waste time explaining the details of that one. October was the month I saw Rogue Wave at Cat’s Cradle which was awesome. I stood on the very front row. Close enough to see the googily eyes that one of the stage hands put everywhere. After the show they threw them out into the crowd. I had a great time. I dragged my brother and sister-in-law to see them too and paid for their tickets so they wouldn’t complain too much. The venue was a little different than I expected. Lorrie described it as "dirty sex." Haha…I wouldn’t have described it quite that way, but ya know. To each his own. So this weekend, get ready for the big drum roll I’m going to my November concert. See if you can guess who it is. This particular band, named after the main singer, owns a vineyard in Charlottesville that I went to this summer. The initials of the band can be found in the website for the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com). Okay if you haven’t guessed it yet, this weekend I’m going to go see Dave Matthews Band with my best friend Jessica! I’m completely stoked! I want to bring my new camera but we don’t really have the best seats considering we waited till the very last minute to get them, and I’m not sure I can convince Shaun to let me borrow his telephoto lens. Ugh…can’t wait! This week has been crazy what with the tree and Ashley’s wedding, but I have been looking forward to DMB all week so this is the icing on the cake! I’ll post later with details about the concert!

As a child I thought my parents were the coolest people in the world. I wanted to be them. There was nothing wrong they could do besides tell me to go to bed. When I became a teenager I had a different outlook. I thought my parents were weird and somewhat embarassing. What I failed to realize as a teenager is parents were once kids with dreams and goals of their own. I love to find out interesting things about my parents. As I make my way into adulthood (although I'm fighting this tooth and nail) I find more and more interesting things about the lives of my parents. Information like my Mom always wanted to be a race car driver, or my Dad got busted for possession of marijuana and spent a night in jail. These are the things that kids want to know.
This is what I want my kids to know. I want them to know that their Mom really lived. I don't know them yet, and who knows maybe I never will. Maybe I won't even have kids. This is where nieces and nephews can come into the picture. I want my kids to know that on September 8, 2010 my friends Shaun, Phil and Jen went to a Lady Gaga Concert.
Now granted, I don't want my kids going to a Lady Gaga concert. Not something I would recommend for them. It would be similar to my parents experience with the Rolling Stones, Kiss, or Madonna. It will be cool for my kids to know about, but not to experience themselves. The concert was absolutely AMAZING! It was part of the Monster Ball Tour and featured songs like, "Bad Romance", "Poker Face", and "Show Me Your Teeth". It was a great night and we all got to dance and be crazy. The opening band, "Semi-Precious Weapons" was absolutely atrocious. They would just scream the "F" word and their music sucked. Like I said not something I want my kids to hear.
The four of us all dressed up pretty crazy. Jen and I landed a spot on Lady Gaga's website which is listed with the post. I got to be a featured "Monster". I raided the local Goodwill to find my costume and borrowed a bright purple wig from my roomate. Don't ask me why she has a bright purple wig. All I know is it worked. The guys...meh, didn't dress up too much. Shaun tried real hard and put makeup all over his face and Phil. Well Phil went as Phil. If you're going to see Lady Gaga you seriously need to go all out. It's the only way to go. The best part of the whole concert was when Lady Gaga sat by herself played the piano and showed her true talent. She played the song "Speechless" and that's exactly what it did. It left the audience speechless. Me being one of those audience members. It was amazing. The girl is talented. You have to give her that. All I know is one day I'll tell my kids about my crazy college days, although I'm not in college anymore I sure feel like I never left. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I still work at the University I attended. Who knows? I want to live and I want to live life to the fullest. I want my kids to know that's what I've done.

So my friend Cody got a little ambitious one night and came up with a crazy burger concoction. Everyone likes to try new food once and awhile and I am definitely one of those people. So I decided to try it. Like I said . . . You can find adventure at home even when you're not traveling the world. Here's the ingredients for these delectable little piece of heaven burgers:

* Two Krispy Kreme Glazed Doughnuts (They have to be Krispy Kreme, because nothing is better)
* One All Beef Patty
* A slice of American Cheese, or whatever type you choose
* One slice of Bacon
* Optional - 1 fried Egg

ENJOY!!!

There was a point and time in my life where I thought I did not have a passion for anything. I would have friends ask me, strangers even, as to what my passion was in life. I always had an interest for a lot of different things which included, dance, theater, singing, cheer leading, tennis, movies, and the list could go on, but there was never one specific thing I was good at or loved.
I can not pin point the specific moment I found my passion. The life changing moment where the light bulb finally turned on. All I know is I've found that passion I was looking for and it's addicting.
I Love to Travel. There it is. My long last passion that I was fastidiously seeking. I've found it and I can't get enough. Traveling is the ultimate high for me. An emotion and nirvana that no drug could ever fulfill. I can not get enough of seeing new things and places.
Fortunately, the other love I have found that can be linked with my sense of adventure and travel is my unadulterated love for food. Finding a tasty new restaurant is one of the best highs a person could have. Like I said . . . it's addicting. So as you can see, my blog, whether you like it or not, will be all about the places I've experienced, the places I want to see, and all the stuff in between.
The picture of the map on the top of my page is a tapestry hanging in my room. Each pin on the map represents a place that I have been. It is in the process of being updated but for the most part is fairly accurate. Hopefully, one day, I will get to the point where more of the world is covered with pins than by the white bare continents. So here is the start to a beautiful beginning. I hope you enjoy!

Do you ever just want to get away? I'm sure everyone has had a time in their life where they just wanted to drop everything and jet. Millions of dollars are spent every year in travel. Whether it's advertising, hotels, airfare, you name it we spend it. What is so appealing about seeing new things and experiencing new places? I don't know, but I love it.

First, I'm going to start with what I know. And that's Virginia. Virginia's state slogan is "Virginia is for Lovers"...and well, I love it.
I feel like I've experienced most of what Virginia has to offer. The only thing I haven't done is seen it from the sky. Next on my list is to Skydive Virginia. Virginia is for Lovers and I'm going to love it from the air jumping out of an airplane. It's on the list and it's going to be done. It's only a matter of time. :) I have only two obstacles in my way. One being Money and the other being cold weather. I'll have to wait till warmer weather sets in and I have an extra little pocket change. I don't want to waste my life waiting to have enough money to do the things that I want. Money is an evil thing and it's never something you're going to have enough of. That's why you have to do what you want NOW. Live in the moment cause you might not ever get it back again. I'm going to Sky Dive and that's all there is to it!