Coldplay :)

Coldplay came to Tampa this week so Mike, Maddy and I went over on Thursday night for the show! We saw the very beginning of the Mylo Xyloto tour in Atlanta last year at the Midtown Music Festival (link here!) and it was fantastic so we were really excited. We met up for a drink with a friend of mine from work, Mark, who was sure to rub in the fact that as an American Express cardholder he had been able to purchase much better seats than ours. I reassured him that the light show is always best viewed from the nosebleed section at the very back ;).  

As soon as we settled in we got a text from the other side of the stadium...

Mark: I hate to tell you but there's a mini stage right behind me
Me: you suck...I am so going to get an Amex

We were given wristbands as we went in and there were signs everywhere to put them on. I wasn't sure what to expect exactly...and then the lights went down and they fired up Jay-Z with 99 Problems...The anticipation and excitement at a concert just before the band comes out is one of my favorite feelings ever!

And then they came out...and then the whole place lit up. I have never experienced anything like it - it was completely breathtaking! I literally burst into tears, it was so freaking beautiful!!!

It took me a minute to realize that the wristbands were synchronized with the music! How cool is that!

In My Place...

"Turn the lights on - that's what makes you beautiful"

Whu oh whoahuh oh...etc...

The wristbands came on throughout the whole show!

And then they hit the ministage...and they were right...the whole place did go bananas...including Mark of course who was right there...

We did get our very own mini-stage experience when we saw Coldplay in England so I really can't complain (link here!).

And then in a flash, the amazing wristbands, lights, lasers, inflatables, confetti and music was all over:(. What a fantastic night!!! Until next time...

Our Girls' Night Out

Maddy and I decided to have a spur-of-the-moment 'Girls' Night Out' on Saturday night:). We started out with fab sushi at Kobe steakhouse...

...and then went to Magic Kingdom...

We got a great spot for the amazing Main St. Electrical Parade...

...and waited in front of the castle to see the Fireworks show, Wishes. I haven't seen the night show in literally years so I had no idea about the amazing castle light show beforehand. It was absolutely beautiful!

We saved about 20 minutes getting out of the park having recently discovered that all of the stores on the right hand side of Main Street as you exit are connected internally! (and "you're welcome":)). We decided to hop over to the House of Blues afterwards since The Cult were performing and I was hoping to catch She Sells Sanctuary from the bar out front. We got there too late unfortunately - just as everyone was coming out :(.

Maddy: Can we leave now? I don't like the look of these people.
Me: Don't be silly Maddy, they are middle-aged like me.
Maddy: Yes, middle aged and drunk - not a good combination. Can we go?

Maddy is at that wonderful age now where she is becoming a mini-adult. We decided to leave until we saw the band limo and waited in the car for a bit to see if they came out. After a little while some people did get into that car but we didn't recognize anyone 'out of the ordinary' looking. Not sure what I was expecting - I guess even The Cult are middle-aged now too :)

Randomness..

The Simards came over last weekend. The girls played dress up...:)

Jen and I took the girls to the UK in Epcot to get as close to the Jubilee celebrations as is possible in the middle of Florida!

It has to be my 20th time for Epcot fireworks but it never gets old...

On the Northfork front, the permits are still in process and the weeds are just growing and growing. It's driving me nuts and I've already started packing!

Maddy finished school and chose the Hunger Games movie at Downtown Disney for her celebration night out. Yes I know - we are the last people in the Northern hemisphere to see it. And yes we thought it was great but we really should read the book to compare. Actually, Maddy has read the book and said it was a lot better than the movie...such an overachiever...Anyway, when it was over we drove up to the house weeds to check out the Magic Kingdom fireworks from our future back yard. After goofing around for a half an hour in the dark taking pictures of ourselves the 'Wishes' show began. You can certainly hear it perfectly...but those trees...yes you guessed it - the castle is right behind them:). Well the good news is the finale is a bit higher than the tree line (for now) and it is a two story house so we may be able to see them from upstairs? Or we can always walk down the street where there's a really perfect view;)

On Sunday, we took Maddy's English friend, Maddy (!) to Disney Hollywood Studios...

It was the last day of the annual Star Wars weekends and so it was totally packed and well into the 90s. Despite that there were random people everywhere dressed up in capes as Jabberwockys or whatever you call them. I don't get it at all. I've never seen a Star Wars movie that I've been able to stay awake through. Here was the crowd when the storm troopers came through...totally nuts!

Maddy and Maddy (and Mike) braved Rock 'N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror...

And bought the photo...

Maybe next time for me...cheers!