Concert Season

Concerts.  Concerts were my addiction from the age of 16 until I moved to Texas at 22.  I joked around that I worked to support my concert habit, I would sometimes go to 3 shows a week during peak times.  Coming home I have been reminded of that addiction.  I believe that Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO is one of the top venues in the world to see a concert.  Add that place with the many tiny Colfax venues located within walking distance of my house and I find myself having a hard time turning concerts down.

Before I took off to Vietnam I saw Snow Patrol on Friday night and Black Keys on Tuesday night.  Both groups have been in my life for awhile, so I thought I should see what they are about live.  I loved the Black Keys.  If you ever have a chance to see them, do.  It started to make me think, what are the top 5 concerts I have ever seen.... I think it goes a little something like this in no particular order:

5.  Goldfinger - Ogden Theatre (1999)

4.  Korn - Red Rocks (2003)

3.  Mumford and Sons - Fillmore Auditorium (2011)

2.  Outkast - Fiddlers Green (2000)

1.  Metallica - Mile Hi Stadium (2002)

I am heading to see the Civil Wars tonight and then Of Monsters and Men on Monday... yay concert season in Colorado!  

Jet Legged

It has been very slow getting back into the swing of things since we returned from Vietnam.  It was great to come home and couple days later find out one of my amazing friends was engaged to her amazing boyfriend... so that helped distract me from the constant state of tired.  The trip was amazing.  It was crazy to experience something like Asia with two new travel buddies, an old coworker and a new boyfriend.  But we made it work and hopefully everyone got what they were looking for in the trip.  I know I did.  Leave it to me to buy a book like Hot, Flat and Crowded for my first trip to a developing country.  We had some great stories, adventures, saw some amazing things and I headed home with mixed emotions.

Morgan the World Traveler

I have always wanted to go to Asia and slowly Vietnam made it to the top of my list.  I headed to the north to see some more "laid back" places in the country.  I saw islands, mountains, beaches and crazy cities where you spent most of your time playing Frogger with the motorbikes.  I instantly sat down to street food upon my arrival, traveled by boat, plane and train to get around... it was everything I wanted to do in Asia.  I was fortunate to be able to do it with some great people. 

We started out in Hanoi

Where we quickly got used to the traffic

Headed out to Ha Long Bay for an overnight boat excursion

Took an overnight train to Hue

Enjoyed the sites before we took the day train to Da Nang

Enjoyed our private beach for the day - China Beach

Enjoyed the night streets of Hoi An by foot

Motorbike by day- Hoi An

Took a plane back to Hanoi for some water puppets

Morgan the Environmentalist

I wanted to see alot of the areas we went to because of all the natural wonder that I read about.  By the second night I had a bad reaction to the diesel fumes and found it hard to breathe and my skin broke out in tiny red dots.  It was a reminder that the Asian countries are trying to achieve the "American" lifestyle the same way we did... with cheap fossil fuels.  We could see the trash as we kayaked in Ha Long Bay and noticed constant smell of fumes on the train.  It was great to get out to the quieter towns of Da Nang and Hoi An to enjoy what this country was before the increase in oil prices and the industrial revolution in Asia.  It was hard to imagine this place in 50 years.

Morgan the American

Everytime I travel abroad, I meet my European counterparts who remind me how much time they have off to travel and how Americans work too hard.  Yep, we were only there for 8 days... doesn't sound like much when you meet people who have 9 weeks or a year... but I was thankful to make it.  It was also weird to be in a country where Americans lost a recent war.  The people were really friendly for the most part, but sometimes I got nervous and wondered...

Morgan Back Home

I am still trying to catch up on my sleep and finish my environmental book.  But I still love the boyfriend and I still love the old coworker... I can cross Asia off my list.  I wonder if I will make it back someday, but for now I look forward to San Diego, Dallas and London.  Something about traveling that I just love.  And I love having someone to do it with.

In 'Nam

I can't really explain it.  I once read an article about how Vietnam is a country where communism works, a country that has vast terrain and fish farms.  I was sold.  Fish farms?  I have to see this.  And for some reason I have never taken this Asian country, that so many people associate with the War, off my bucket list.  We fly into Hanoi, the capital, for sure I will travel to Ha Long Bay... past that?  để cho các cuộc phiêu lưu bắt đầu

Vietnam

My last Saturday in Dallas was spent packing up a kitchen that would never make it to Denver.  All my old friends and coworkers were playing in a company softball game that my ex was organizing.  I tried to be a part of it but like everything else, it wasn't worth the trouble that it began to cause.  As the day softball game turned into a night baseball game, I realized no one was going to call to see if I wanted to go out.  I sent a few texts, called a few friends in Colorado and sat there looking out my loft window and warming up a pizza.  Then he called... my old coworker that would take over my lease once I moved.

I tried to tell him I was busy but he convinced me that I needed to go out.  He convinced me to try to go see a movie.  Sold out.  Then he asked me to go get sushi.  I had already ate dinner.  I went with him anyways.  He took me to a place I had never been.  I don't remember what we talked about but we would talk all through dinner until his friends showed up.  If I remember correctly he did everything he could to confirm leaving Dallas was best for me and he tried so hard to make my last weekend there fun.  The night continued with conversations and drinks.  I would stay out to late and miss my morning run with the running partner, but I owed it to my friend to stay out.  He reached out his hand in friendship when I really needed it.  Few did in Dallas.

This guy would eventually go on to move into my loft and quit his job to travel the world less than a year later.  I told him I would meet him in Vietnam.  And I meant it.  The boyfriend and I leave next Thursday night for Hanoi, Vietnam.  I can't wait to see him.  I can't wait to see him happy.  I can't wait for him to see me happy.  I can't wait for a redo at that last dinner, hopefully I smile more this time.

Lost for Words

After an amazing weekend, surrounded by amazing friends, these images sum up how I feel:

Good Bye 30

In less than 24 hours I will officially be 30 something.  I loved 30.  It started out with some self reflection when I was told in a bar that I will always be alone.  Followed by my first summer home in 7 years, dating again, lessons learned in friendships, learning to snowboard and my favorite part... falling in love again.  I got my feet under me and finally made a place my home after moving 5 times in 18 months... I got to the point where life made sense again.  I got to the point where I was happy again.

So now what 31?  Here we go.  I have various concerts on the schedule, Vietnam, Dallas, a marathon in San Diego and London all booked.  I hope to go camping and backpacking as much as my schedule will permit.  I know it sounds busy... but the actual welcoming of 30 will start slow with a date night tonight, consisting of dinner and The Bully Project Documentary.  Tomorrow I will wake up, run 13, have breakfast and go to sushi with 9 people that made 30 very memorable.  Sunday the boyfriend and I will head to my dad's for a BBQ.  I am so excited!  There were so many positive things that happened this last year, that I really can't even remember the negative.  I am sure I could if I thought long and hard... but I don't want to.  I like where I am right now... that is good enough for me.

Last Winter Weekend

“So why were we doing a team cheer last night?”

It was the last ski weekend in Vail this past weekend.  The winter season brought Summit County no snow.  So when a few friends asked if I would be interested in booking a weekend up in Vail for the last opportunity to snowboard, what else was there to say?  But yes. 

The group was a different one.  Friends from all over, new ones, old ones and some people I didn’t know at all, but it worked.  The boyfriend and I headed up Saturday morning after I had an amazing 17 mile run in the crisp, Colorado spring air.  We headed west, no snow.  From the highway it looked like people were skiing on dirt mounds, don’t tell me global warming isn’t doing something.  This just confirmed why we didn’t bring our gear.  The rest of our friends spent the day on the dirt, drinking, laughing and snowboarding.  We all met up to go to dinner and watch a concert in the town, JJ Grey and Mofro (I love the little reminders of the south).

Right as we entered the restaurant, it started to snow.  Really snow.  Perfect for our last winter weekend in the mountains.  We enjoyed good food and shot of tequila then headed out to the concert.  After the unexpected jam session we retreated to the bathrooms which were located inside a parking garage.  Then it happened. 

That moment where you are not sure how you got there, or why you got there, but you remember being there.  As clear as I can remember it, two people started to do yoga.  This led to the boyfriend trying to stretch as well.

The girl doing yoga: Are you flexible.
Boyfriend: Not really, but I play hockey.
The girl doing yoga: Really? Can you do the stretches the hockey players do before the game?
Boyfriend: The groin stretch? Yeah.
The girl doing yoga (really excited): I want to see you do it.
He does. We take pictures.

The girl doing yoga turns to me and goes that is hot.  Then we are all the ground stretching, which leads to a team break out cheer, followed by people requesting pictures with us.  All of this right outside the bathroom in a parking garage.  We head out to the next bar.

The next morning we all slowly wake up.  The boyfriend asks, “So why were we doing a team cheer last night?”  Well… because sometimes when you "just be", great things happen.