Last night Jimmy and I decided on a whim to drive 70 miles down to Felton, CA to see one of our favorite bands play at a tiny venue. It was a rough Monday. All I really wanted to do when I got home was curl up in a ball and watch Dexter. But I know that two of the things in this world that make me feel best are 1. spontaneous adventures with my love and 2. singing and dancing to live music. So we picked up some deeeelicious pumpkin cider, and went on our way.

The venue was tiny (in the best way). We already had plans to see them at the Fillmore this Friday, but I'm so glad we got to see them in this small, intimate space. Highlights of the night were a quiet and emotional Watch Over Us, and an absolutely beauuuutiful cover of Slip Slidin' Away.

Check them out in the videos below and let me know what you think! Have you been listening to any new bands lately??

 

Road Trip Essentials :: My Open Road Wish List

I *heart* summer road trips with all of my might. They keep me running, they really do. Sunshine, breezes, new sights and adventures, how can you go wrong? I'm also pretty sure they're the glue in my relationship with Jimbo - our best talks and adventures always happen on the road. We've done two cross-USA road trips, a Euro-road trip, and each summer we end up taking countless rides on summer weekends. There's something so freeing about it! If you've packed correctly, that is - otherwise they're no fun at all. Here are some of my favorite summer road trip essentials:

1. blanket // to be used for warmth, for a pillow, and for that impromptu picnic you're sure to have.
2. cotton beach dress // something comfy, stretchy, and begging to be photographed.
3. shovel // for safety - sometimes cars get stuck.
4. rosewater spray // it's nice to freshen up with a spritz of rosewater after a few hours on the road.
5. comfy shoes // something versatile is good, you never know where you'll end up...
6. dry shampoo // if you'll be on the road for a few days, your hair might crave a pick-me-up.
7. favorite wine // beautiful views and sunsets sometimes call for wine.
8. wine opener // because, wine.
9. notebook // how else would you record all of your adventures and brainstorm your future together?
10. sunglasses // I need a new pair...love these guys.
11. cash // folks these days often depend on cards, but cash might be necessary to pay for state parks, parking, roadside fruit stands, and other emergencies like that.
12. snacks // I like to pack nuts, fruit and dark chocolate.
13. music // we use Spotify for our road trip playlists (see our Sunshine Drive playlist below!)
14. SPF chapstick // a must have.
15. a knife // you'll be surprised how much you'll use this thing, plus - safety first.

Do you have any unique road trip essentials? How about road trip songs?

This post is part of the RelayRides Road Trip Essentials campaign. RelayRides is a car rental service based on peer-to-peer car sharing - you can borrow others' cars and rent out your own!

Live Music Weekend

The Fillmore^^ 

^^Hanging with The Stone Foxes. But more importantly, the new friend I met on the left there was meant to be my new bestie after a great night of gallivanting together...but after the show I lost her phone number!! Sad story! If you know her, give me a holler ;)

Jimmy and I had a weekend o' music. Rocking out, dancing and singing my heart out (interspersed with the laziest lazy days) was exactly what I needed after a trying week. We got so amped up by the two great shows we went to, that we also grabbed tix to another upcoming show, and spent the rest of the weekend scouring for new artists on Spotify.

Care to hear some new stuff? Here's a little mix of the shows we saw this weekend + shows coming up + new stuff we found this weekend.

Have you had your live music fix lately?? Who did you see?

Have a wonderful week!

Race Pics + Power Playlist

I hope everyone had a beautiful October weekend! Are you kind of sad that the month is almost over, like me? I love October. But at least I was able to say a lovely farewell- basking in the crisp air, bright sun, and colored leaves all weekend up in Guerneville with friends. We ran, we sipped, we ate, we relaxed, and we played. So fun.

And my race motivation really worked! My playlist was amazing. I listed a few of my faves from the playlist at the bottom of this post in case you've been craving some new workout tunes. And the costumes definitely helped. Watching our Mario and Luigi run around in full-on denim overalls and hearing passersby wonder aloud whether Jim was dressed as a ghost or a sperm really picked up the mood. Plus we WON the team costume competition. (Thanks for the delicious prize wine, Hawkes!)

 But there was one unlisted helper that really helped get me through those last few painful miles. This guy:

Jimmy helped us keep a nice steady pace, and every once in awhile when I felt like I might start dragging, he'd reach out his hand and give me the boost I needed. Towards the end my ankles were aching and my muscles were losing steam, but we knew we wanted a strong finish. So Jim fought through his own exhaustion to grab my hand and help us speed up through the end. Thanks Jimmy - I'll never make you run a 1/2 marathon again! ;)

Here are some more shots from the weekend.

Allie's Half Marathon Power playlist:

                 

:: 13.1 ::

Eek! My half marathon is in 3 days. To be honest, I haven't quite kept up with training the way I maybe should have. Which probably explains why I'm feeling a little nervous. This running thing does not come naturally to me! Hiking, yoga, team sports - yes. But running...my body resists each and every step. Which I guess is one of the reasons I really wanted to do this in the first place; to see what it would feel like to get my body running more than 3-4 miles at a time. To see if I could do it at all.

So the bad news is, I only did a few "long runs" in my training, the furthest of which was 9 miles. (reeeally banking on that whole "race adrenaline" thing to take me the last 4.1 miles on Saturday...)

The good news is, in my training runs every mile after 4 felt pretty good- kind of comfortable and robot-like. Like all I needed to do was lean forward a bit to keep going. Like a segway! Sure, my body felt like it was going to crumble into tiny pieces after each run...but I can cross that bridge when I come to it. (p.s. when I just googled segway I found this link. whaaa??).

The even better news is, I have some awesome motivation lined up for Saturday which I think will help me go all the way:

1. Wine. This is a WINE country 1/2 marathon after all. After the race we'll be rewarded with tastings upon tastings. They even give you a taste during the race if you so desire. I will run for wine!
2. Food. If you've ever been in a long race you know that the good ones have wonderful snacks awaiting you at the end. Nothing inspires me to burn calories more than the thought of replacing every last one of 'em with tasty treats.
3. Hot tub. Our rental house for the weekend has a hot tub. Mmmmyes.
4. Team. Jim and I are running with 8 wonderful friends, and we're all dressing up as the Mario Kart gang for the race. As the blondie of the group I was named Princess Peach...and I'm pretty sure that wearing a crown will keep me going strong til the end.
5. Music. I've been slowly but surely compiling the greatest running playlist known to man. I'd still LOVE some recommendations though - please comment with any favorite songs I should add to my list :).

Wish us luck!

Bodega (Part 1):: According to iPhone Pictures

Last night Jimbo asked me the most wonderful little question before bed. He said "what have been your happiest moments lately?". I went on to list about a million from the past few months, but there were quite a few strong recurring themes. In each of my happiest "wow I am so lucky" moments, I was:

1. outside

2. with friends

3. exploring a new place

4. next to Jimmy

Usually with some food or beverage in hand. And always with some beautiful nature expanse before me, whether it be a field of flowers, the ocean, or a star filled sky. The memories were a great way to fall asleep.

It's nice to know what makes you happiest, and it's even nicer to know how often I'm coming across times like these lately. Since we've moved here, we've been lucky enough to have quite a few fun, food and nature filled weekend. One of which was when our dear friends Caitlin and Eddie, fellow explorers, came to visit from Boston and we ventured up to Bodega Bay together.

We ventured up Route 1 (the scenic route of course) and camped at Bodega Dunes Campgrounds, right in Sonoma Coast State Park. We slept on a little sandy knoll under the pine trees, and had the beach and the Pacific as our backyard. Our first day was for beach exploring and relaxing; sunsets, card playing and beer. 

The next day we tasted wine at one of our favorite wineries; Dutcher Crossing in Geyserville.  We explored a couple more in Dry Creek as well, then stopped at the Dry Creek General Store (which by the way is one of those adorable places you could just wander around all day. amazing local books and wines. rustic Italian sandwiches. rustic everything. a bar. wrap around porch and people watching. LoVe!).

But we made sure to save some energy for Oysterpalooza in Valley Ford, at Rocker Oysterfeller's. Ahhhmazing. Six bands, two stages, BBQ oysters, Fried Oyster Po Boys, BBQ Brisket, Lagunitas on draught, Dry Creek wines, hay bales, fairy lights, dancing, and friends. How can you beat it?

 

There are actually even more pics from this happy-inducing trip, but I will save those for another time. And did anyone wonder why my own face was popping up so much more than usual in these photos? It's because the lovely Caitlin shared her gems with me! Thanks @caitk86 for sharing your instagrams!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Boston Meets Austin

There's lots to say.

Austin, I love you so much.

I was in Austin for the weekend with 15 other ladies for my friend Sarah's bachelorette party. Great choice, Sarah! I've loved Austin ever since Jimmy and I checked it out a couple of years ago, and I saw so happy to have the opportunity to explore it further. In just 3 short days, the 16 of us danced, saw, did, shopped, drank and ate so much. There's lots to say, but first for some photos, courtesy of instagram (follow me @allierowe).

As you can tell, we had no fun at all. ;)

Just a couple of highlights, in case anyone's planning an Austin trip (which you obviously should)...

What to --- in Austin.

Eat:

• barbeque. preferably at Stubb's, though I'm sure there are a bunch of amazing places. every last bite was drool worthy, especially when doused with their famous sauce. I'd love to see a live show there, too.
• tex-mex. obvi! we went to Pelon's which we'd heard was great, plus it was right near our hotel (and coincedentally, right across the street from Stubb's!). they put together a delightful taco bar for us, which paired nicely with endless pitchers of sangria and margarita's. and queso dip. lots and lots of queso dip (try it).
• food trucks. the SoCo (South of Congress) district has a wonderful bunch of them, and which Jimmy and I also experienced a couple years ago. So much fun. but sadly, it seems that they'll be dispersing soon. they will have to relocate somewhere though, so just look for nomad dosa, short bus subs, and crepesmille.
• happy hour. tons to choose from. we picked a tex-mex place with a roofdeck, and managed to have a huge meal and 2 drinks each for less than $20 per person. me likey. 

See:

• live music. luckily, you couldn't avoid it if you tried! 6th Street is crawling with great live bands, and we didn't come across a single place with a cover. bar hopping is fun.
• the beauty of SoCo. even if you don't go in a single shop or eat at the food carts, you'll enjoy yourself just viewing the wall art, the fairy-lit oak trees and spur of the moment street performances.
• the treats of Uncommon Objects in SoCo. It's like a museum.

Do:

• tube down a river. this was our favorite day. there are a bunch of places to do it 1/2 hour south of Austin - make it happen.
• honky tonk!! we went to the Broken Spoke ("last of the true Texas dance halls") where a nice young man taught each and every one of us how to two step. feeling confident, we headed back downtown to Rebels Honky Tonk to show off our skills and watch people flail off the mechanical bull. this place was bachelorette party heaven.
• shop. in where else?? SoCo. adorable vintage shops, millions of cowboy boots/hats, cute unique jewelry, crafts -- what more could you ask for?
• get on stage. we befriended an wonderfully interactive band who invited me on stage not once but twice to help them with a chorus or two. rockstar fantasies whaaaat?
• go off the beaten track. after tubing we stopped at the Gristmill in Gruene, TX for a snack. it was the definition of a "local watering hole". so picturesque and just...so texas.

Pack:

• cowboy boots (when in rome)
• comfy, light clothing
• a bubba keg (or other non-disposable drinking device) for your tubing refreshments
• sunscreen
• cheap sunglasses & flip flips for tubing (you might lose them)
• a bachelorette (helpful for free drinks and skipping lines!)

You planning a trip yet?? I hope so!