I am heading to a wedding this weekend... I think my last one for the year! It's an Indian wedding, so I'm sure I won't know what half the songs are about (other than being blissfully in love, durr), or what they're saying, but it got me thinking... what are some of my favorite songs to hear at a wedding? So without further ado, my Top 15 (couldn't do 10, sorry I'm not sorry) songs to hear at a wedding!
In no particular order, except for the last song:
Marry You- Bruno Mars
Marry Me- Train
I Do- Colbie Caillat
Lucky- Colbie Caillat/ Jason Mraz
See a theme here?! Ok... a few classics:
You're my First, My Last, My Everything- Barry White
All My Life- KC and JoJo
Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours- Stevie Wonder
And to get the party started...
Love on Top- Beyonce
Shout- Isley Brothers
Shots- LMFAO/ Lil Jon (ok seriously... who is not taking shots at some point during a wedding?)
Good Feeling- Flo Rida
Party Rock Anthem- LMFAO
Cupid Shuffle- Cupid (I know, line dances are lame, but there has to be at least one!)
You've Got the Love- Florence and the Machine
We Found Love- Rihanna/ Calvin Harris
The weekend kicked off Friday night with a friend's birthday! We went to Charritto's, a local BYO Mexican place where they made us delicious margaritas...and sangria! Then en route to our next stop, we bumped into Batman! He was nice enough to take a picture with us, and shared a dance with the birthday girl!
#tokencrew
Our nickname for our lil group is "Token Crew", since we have our "token" black girl, Latina, ghetto white girl, and a (1/2) Indian!
Saturday was the Global Citizen's Festival in Central Park- and what a gorgeous day for it! I got lost getting there (I seriously get lost going anywhere), but I did stumble upon this fountain and park within the park!
The Global Citizen is an organization to fight poverty worldwide. You can learn more about it HERE. I think it's an amazing cause that I could really get behind, even if I only found out about it because of this concert!
It was a super long day though. Gates opened at 2, so I was on line by 12:30. (And I didn't get home til midnight!) The line was INSANE- it started at 72nd street, and when I was at the end I was at 67th... that's 5 NYC blocks! But it was totally worth it- I got pretty close to the front, and could actually see the people performing instead of just on the giant screens!!
view of the stage from where I sat, Elvis Costello, Janelle Monae, Bono, and John Mayer
Elvis Costello, Janelle Monae, Bono, and Maxwell were the surprise guests. They each only did a song, but it was still cool to see them- I especially loved Janelle Monae!
There were a lot, like a LOT of guest speakers. Most of them I didn't know or care about, and they talked for quite a while between sets. I don't remember or take a picture of everyone, but I did getDato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak ( Najib Razak for short), the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Nelson Mandela's grandchildren, Princess Mary from Denmark, Katie Holmes, and my personal favorite special guest, Gerard Butler!!!
Of course Bono was there, and Russell Simmons (his introduction for Alicia Keys was cut off by all of us screaming for her!), and the Nobel Peace Prize Winner (2011) and Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf— the first woman to be elected president in modern Africa. (And another picture of Gerard Butler... just for good measure.) (And a pic of Maxwell- not sure why he's in this collage- whoops!)
The headliners were Kings of Leon, who for some reason I don't have any pictures of (but they were really good!), Alicia Keys, John Mayer, and Stevie Wonder.
I was most exciting for Alicia Keys- and she was absolutely phenomenal!! And gorgeous, as per usual!
She performed all the favorites, Fallin, Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart, You Don't Know My Name, No One, Girl on Fire, If I Ain't Got You, Empire State of Mind!, But I think this one was my favorite...
Unfortunately, she was the only one I was able to keep a whole set list for, because then my phone died. Which was extremely annoying since at this point I was sitting by myself, and trying to get to my friend who had come later. But then Security wouldn't let me leave my section, even to go backwards! I was so annoyed- and sad- I wanted to watch the concert with her, and she had come up from Central Jersey just to watch it with me! But I guess it's cool that we both got to see it.
The one artist who surprised me the most was Stevie Wonder. Of course he closed out the concert. But I didn't really think he was going to be as amazing as he was. I really only stayed to watch him because, well, he IS an icon. And when else am I going to see him? But a lot of people left right after John Mayer. Which just means the rest of us got to move even closer!
He was amazing.
The crowd was fun, and everyone was singing and dancing.
He's really funny... and apparently strongly against guns. (Did you know blind people are allowed to own and carry handguns? He told us. Seriously though... WHY??! How does that make ANY sense?? But I digress...)
He sang. He played the keyboard, piano, and harmonica! And he was freakin fantastic. Definitely a strong end to an incredible night!
Ok, ok. So I went a little over this month. Honestly, I needed most of these things. And I don't think I bought nay clothes last month, so I had a little making up to do? Whatevs, I'll just be more careful next month. I needed new pants because I lost a little weight, and I need some while I try to fit back in my old ones. I've been wanting a mustard yellow cardigan since last year, and this was the perfect one, especially on sale (also, it's super comfy!).
I was considering returning the dress, since I do own a bunch of LBD's, but then I put it on. And it fit perfectly. So, obviously keeping it. I'm still considering returning the navy shirt, since I bought it online, and it's not what I thought it would look like. I'm still debating. And that owl sweater? Yeah, it's just cute. I couldn't pass up an owl sweater!
Get any fun Fall clothes yet? Linking up with Fran's Budgeting Bloggers - see how everyone else did this September!
So I finally finished a book! YAY! However, our book club doesn't meet until Sunday, so i don't want to give anything away to any of them who might read this, so I guess I'll review it next week. And we'll go straight to...
I am SUPER excited because I won tickets to the Global Citizen Concert in Central Park tomorrow!! It's a free event, but you need tickets to get in, and I won! The headliners are Stevie Wonder, Kings of Leon, John Mayer, and Alicia Keys! I'm also excited because I like all of them and haven't seen any of them in concert! Now I'm just hoping it doesn't rain because you can't bring umbrellas into the event! Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Since the concert is tomorrow, I've been prepping... by replaying all my favorites in anticipation! Enjoy!
These are all great, but who I really can't wait for is ALICIA KEYS!
And I hear Bono may be making an appearance, so maybe he'll perform? I sure hope so!
I've mentioned that I will do (almost) anything at least once.
So even though I know absolutely zero about women's basketball, when my friend invited me to the last game of the season, I went. I like sports, and beer, and new experiences. I saw The New York Liberty vs. Phoenix Mercury. (Phoenix won... boo!) It also happened to be all-star Katie Smith (from the NY Liberty)'s last game ever! She retired after being in the league since it's inception, which I thought was pretty cool. And even though I hadn't even heard of her before that night, the ceremony and all the pics and clips from past games and words from her coaches, former and present, was all so touching! Not gonna lie, I may have teared up. Plus, I got a free t shirt with her signature!
pre-game
Katie Smith, giving her "goodbye" speech
I was surprised that there were cheerleaders. However, it was a group of senior citizens (literally) who performed in the half time show. Let me just say, I was really scared that one of them was going to break a hip! And I never want to see someone my grandparent's age dancing to Nelly's "Hot in Here". Ever. Again.
My friend also got tickets to a Q&A with the #1 star in the WNBA- Britney Griner. At 6'8" she was like a giant, especially compared to my 5'2" little self! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture next to her. She talked a lot about how she got to where she is, hard work, dedication, and her teammates helping her out. She talked about always being made fun of because of her height, and how uncomfortable she was for so long in her own skin, how she had low self esteem, and how basketball was her release- when she got stressed out, she would take to the court. Looks like it definitely paid off! She also talked a bit about coming out earlier this summer, and others reactions to it. I didn't think it was a big deal, but apparently she got a lot of heat from the media, and people talking shit because she's so tall, and has a deep voice, and is good at bball. I guess athletes are coming out more these days, but I still think it must take so much courage to do it. She was really down to earth and personable, and I liked that she took time out to just talk to us and was so honest.
Hey Britney!
I also had the pleasure of meeting former WNBA star Kym Hampton! And this time I got a picture (excuse the hair- it was late and my hair had wilted by this point)!
I have a pretty classic style. One thing I love about fall is getting to pull out the scarves and boots. I am all about comfort. And my main issue is being cold- I really really don't like being cold. So layers are key for me, especially in fall, when it's 50 degrees in the morning and 70 by late afternoon! (I just checked the weather- that is literally the forecast for today!)
1. A black moto jacket
2. classic denim jacket
3. blazers- any and all. I wear blazers a lot for work. They're great because they offer an extra layer of warmth, I like the shape it gives me, and they are still professional. I'm especially loving the one above!
4. scarves- a lightweight print one, and a chunky infinity one
5. basic black and white stripe shirt- because they go with everything
5. florals. They are so feminine and girly, which is not really my style, but I do like being a girly-girl sometimes
6. cardigans- again, any and all. And in every color. Pleaseandthankyou.
7. chambray- it's versatile enough to wear in the office and out and it's perfect for layering
8. a structured (big) bag, preferably in a neutral color like brown. Mostly because I carry too much stuff with me at all times, and it needs to fit. I like the shape of this one.
9. black ankle booties. I haven't found any that actually look good on me yet, but I'm still searching!
10. tall brown boots. ("Motorcycle boots"?) Perfect with jeans or skirts, especially when it's colder so my legs don't freeze! And they're comfortable enough for everyday wear.
.JPG)
