Gold Cup Semifinals

July 22nd Georgia Dome

USA vs Jamaica 

Mexico vs Panama

Soccer is blowing up in America, since our impressive showing at the FIFA World Cup last year and the women's team winning the World Cup last month, Americans are loving soccer more than ever. I myself have recently gotten into soccer as well. I played once a long time ago and my brother played for years for both our school and rec leagues. Dylan really wanted to go to the Gold Cup since USA was playing and I have never been to a professional game before so I was in! 

Attending a soccer game is literally like nothing I had ever experienced. I love football and I thought their fans get into it, but soccer fans are on a whole different level. Our seats were way up high, as you can see, but you could see the action perfectly fine. We did lose to Jamaica sadly, my brother had a lot to say about our goalie, but it was still a great game. 

There was about an hour between the two games so we walked around the stadium some. Dylan really wanted a scarf, but just abut everywhere was already sold out of the one he wanted. I will say my only complaint about the stadium was that you couldn't walk all the way around on the bottom floor so we had to keep going all the way back up to walk to the different sections of the stadium and then walk all the way back down to check out the merchandise stores. 

We stayed for the Mexico game too because we knew it would be good and it did not disappoint. One guy got a ejected and it took them like 5 minutes to get him to leave the field. Also, I hate to say this, but Mexican fans are so much better than American fans. Obviously soccer is like an institution there, but they were so hyped and into the game. Their chants were amazing and they were so loud! We left about ten minutes into the second half so we could beat the crowds to MARTA and as we left Panama scored. On the train we found out that Mexico ended up winning in some crazy overtime penalty kicks or something. The place probably went nuts.

I had a great time and I'm so excited for the Atlanta United team we're getting in a few years! I would love to see some British Premier League games in person one day. People just love soccer so much and it makes me want to love soccer. I'm really excited that the sport is taking off here and finally getting the recognition it deserves!

xx Kristen 

A Weekend In Atlanta

My younger brother came to visit me in Atlanta for the weekend since he's heading off to college in a few weeks. I tried to show him different parts of the city so I thought I'd share. It was a pretty solid Atlanta weekend that I think anybody (tourists or residents) would enjoy!

Piedmont Park 

We started with lunch at Park Tavern, choosing to eat indoors since it was so hot outside. We then walked around the park, past the pond, through the athletic fields and up the big hills. I wish we had found a King of Pops or something to enjoy in the heat. It was just cool to show him the park and all of the great skyline views. I do wish it hadn't been as hot, we didn't stay as very long, but it's a great place to bring a frisbee or some cool treats and hang out.

College Football Hall of Fame

My brother and I are both really into college football and neither of us had been to the Hall of Fame before. The line was little long, but completely worth it. They made it super interactive and personal, plus the air conditioning was amazing. I graduated from the University of Georgia and Dylan is about to start college at Mississippi State. Right when you walk in you personalize your badges with what school you're representing. The big wall of helmets light up so that everyone knows someone from that school is there today. It's definitely worth a visit if you're a college football fan, we even got a discount with our college IDs.

Braves Game

This wasn't the best Braves game I've been to, it was hot and we lost to the Cubs. However, being there with my brother was awesome, our seats were in the shade and we picked up some jerseys from the gift shop there. Overall, not a bad way to spend a night.

North Fulton Golf Course 

My brother and I like golf a lot, but neither of us are super great at it. I like to play with him because I don't feel as embarrassed when I do poorly. He gives me tips and doesn't get upset that we play slow. By the end, Dylan was actually doing pretty well. The two guys we played with were super nice too. I always feel bad when we get paired with another couple because I hate holding people up. They weren't pros though so it worked out well.

The golf course was actually pretty nice and they had water every couple of holes, which was great since it was insanely hot outside. This golf course is right behind my apartment in Chastain Park, so it was super convenient.  We took a while to play and I'm not going to share our scores with you, but let's just say we won't be going pro anytime soon.

It was nice getting to spend time with my brother before he starts college in the fall and exploring the city I live in. There are still so many things in Atlanta that I haven't done yet and I've now lived here for a year! So here's to many more weekends in Atlanta, exploring the city I call home.

xx Kristen

Boys of Zummer Tour

July 17th 

Wiz Khalifa

Fall Out Boy 

I took my younger brother to the Boys of Zummer Tour last week. I had really wanted to go to the concert, but nobody was super pumped for it. Then I found out Dylan was going to be spending that weekend with me so it seemed like the perfect opportunity! So with only a week to go, I snagged a pair of lawn seats at Aaron's Amphitheater.

I tried to get us there for the opening act, Hoodie Allen, but we struggled with traffic, parking and timing. I know a few Hoodie Allen songs and I really enjoy them, so I hate that we missed him. We could hear him singing "All About It" as we were picking up our tickets at will call, we literally just missed him. So with the lag before Wiz Khalifa we grabbed a few drinks, laid out our blanket and settled in.

I do enjoy Aaron's Amphitheater, it's actually a pretty cool experience sitting on a blanket with your group of friends. The only thing that sucks is that you can't see the stage very well. Usually that's okay, but neither of the acts used the screens on either side of the stage. You could hear perfectly fine and you could see their bodies, just not really what they were doing.

Something that I did love about this concert was how short the wait between acts were. At least it felt short because they had people entertaining us between sets. There was a DJ just before Wiz came on to get us hyped. Right before Fall Out Boy came on they brought out MAX to sing his single "Gibberish" that Hoodie features on. Dylan didn't know what it was, but I've had it for a while and it was really exciting to see them bring him out for the one song. I think it's great when artists help out other artists they like and enjoy working with.

Wiz Khalifa was amazing. I already liked a lot of his big songs, but seeing him in concert made me a fan. I will be buying his latest album and I would gladly see him in concert again. My brother was really excited for him and he knew more songs than I did. I just can't describe his stage presence, he was everywhere. He was really invested in the crowd.

And then there was Fall Out Boy. I've listened to them since Sugar We're Going Down. They're iconic. They've been around for what, 10 years? They still have multiple singles making it onto the radio waves. Pete Wentz was on One Tree Hill, that's how awesome they are! I've actually seen them in concert once before, my sophomore year of high school I think. I was so excited to hear them preform, I bought their newest album and I really think they found themselves again.

They started strong with Sugar We're Going Down and then played hit after hit after hit. Being with my brother I felt no shame in screaming along to all of their songs and literally jumping up and down. It's probably one of the funnest concerts I've experienced based solely on the jam sesh. Dylan knew most of the songs too, because like I said they have a million hits on the radio.

The only complaint I have is with the acoustic set they preformed about halfway through the concert. I LOVE acoustic sets. When bands bring out the acoustic guitars, or a piano or sing acapella, I live for it. That's why I was so sad that I could barely hear them singing. I guess the mics weren't turned up enough or something, but I could barely hear what they were singing. They also played a few songs I don't really know, so that didn't help. Speaking of complaints, I was sad they didn't sing "Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy Tonight."

Back to the positives, when they were making their way back to the main stage their drummer had this massively impressive drum showcase (I guess you could call it). They played a bunch of rap songs on the speakers and he just drummed along to them. It was really cool, and not something I've seen before. Another highlight was when they sang "Uma Thurman" and Wiz came out and preformed with them. That's another reason I love live concerts. When the artists collaborate on stage it brings all new life to some of your favorite songs.

It was really an amazing concert that will stay with me for years to come. It was high energy and it felt so nice to get lost in those songs. Fall Out Boy and Wiz Khalifa may seem like a weird combination, but honestly they worked so well together.

xx Kristen

Artists I Love: One Direction

Today marks One Direction's five year anniversary as a band so it seemed like the perfect time to write this blog post. Don't worry, you won't be reading a jumbled mess of me fangirling about the boys, I save that for my texts with Kim. Instead I want to talk about the band, why they're one of my favorite artists and their music that continues to grow as they do.

By now you already know I love a wide variety of music, however you are probably quick to judge me based on this one choice. You may think that their fan base is full of screaming, crying 14 year olds, that their music is just teen pop and that I only like them because they're cute and British. However, your surface level judgements of this band cause you to overlook their talent, their generosity and their music. I'm not Wikipedia, I'm also not going to sit here and preach to you and try and convince you to love One Direction. I just want to share with you why they are one of my favorite bands.

The First Encounter
One Direction was formed on the X-Factor in 2010 by Simon Cowell and then made their way to America with their first single What Makes You Beautiful. Flash forward a little over three years later and on a road-trip to Nashville to watch the UGA/Vandy game, a friend plugs in her iPhone and plays some One Direction songs. I recognized a few of them because I had bought them on iTunes months before. All I knew was that they were a band and I owned some of their songs. My friends then started talking about their favorite ones, naming them and telling me they were British. Seriously, two years ago I didn't know any of their names, I didn't know how old they were, I didn't even know they were British. Somewhere between Athens and Nashville, my eyes were opened to the world of One Direction.

The Music
Why am I talking about their music before I actually talk about the members of the band? Because that's what I'm here for first and foremost, the music. If you don't know about my love of music then you need to click on that music tab to the right. I go to concerts like it's my job.

I grew up on boy bands, Backstreet Boys, N*Sync, I even loved the Jonas Brothers. One Direction's first two albums are fairly cookie cutter boy band stuff. They did't write their music, they dressed similar to each other and they were all pretty young. You have to remember that they were new to the industry, they didn't know what they were doing. They had a team telling them what to do and what to sing. However, they still did a great job and some of those songs, although rather basic, are super fun to sing along to. I think it's very impressive that over the years you can tell they've grown as artists, that their sound has matured. Even their voices have gotten stronger as they've gotten older.

I would say don't judge their music based on What Makes You Beautiful. Listen to their newest album, FOUR. You can feel the rock influences and hear how strong all of their voices are.

The Boys
Liam. Louis. Niall. Harry. Zayn. They each have their own strengths, their own sound and their own personalities. Watching their movie, This Is Us, really made me appreciate them as artists and as people. There are plenty of bands and artists I really like, but what always puts me over the edge is when I see that they're awesome people as well. It's amazing to see what motivates them, what drives them and the personality they inject into their music. When you know the artist on a more personal level, their music almost sounds different. It makes you more invested in the music. In my last post of this series I talked about how seeing Ed Sheeran's personality on stage, in video and on social media all made me love him more. It's the same with One Direction.

There are plenty of talented musicians out there, but what makes me like some artists more than others are their personalities. I want to feel like we could be friends (ya know if they weren't uber famous), I want to know what drives them, I want to hear how much they love music. One Direction delivers on this. They care about their families, their fans, music and the world. They're talented, funny and down to earth.

The Future
Zayn quit One Direction and there are always rumors that they're breaking up or that this next album could be their last. I don't pretend to think One Direction will last forever. However, I'm going to enjoy their music as long as it's around. They're in the middle of a world tour, will be releasing their 5th album later this year and then who knows. They are all talented men. Louis already owns a production company, they can all write music and obviously they're talented singers. The music industry is huge and wherever life takes them, I'm sure they'll succeed.

When it comes to music, sometimes it's the intangibles. It's those qualities you can't quite put into words, those feelings you just can't express. You can't explain it to somebody that doesn't understand, but for those who know, it's impossible not to see it.

If you're not a fan of One Direction, I hope this blog post convinced you to give them a chance and that you listen to their newer stuff (all the songs below are off their latest album, FOUR). If you are a fan on One Direction, then you already know.

xx Kristen

Where Do Broken Hearts Go - One Direction
Girl Almighty - One Direction
No Control - One Direction
Fireproof - One Direction
Stockholm Syndrome - One Direction
18 - One Direction

Atlanta Adventures: Atlanta Street Food Festival

This past Saturday my friends and I went it the Atlanta Street Food Festival in Piedmont Park. It was rather hot outside and there were way more people there than I wanted to deal with. We had a good time, but that's mostly because we were with our friends, otherwise the event was so not worth it! 

You had to pay just to get into the festival so you could pay for your food. The lines were crazy long and some of my friends waited hours at the more popular food trucks. We didn't even make it all the way to the end of the line of trucks because we were so sick of walking and squeezing past people. I'm not sure how it could have been set up better, but it was so difficult to get around everything. 

We settled on some Sweet Auburn BBQ since we had had it before and knew it was good and the line wasn't too long (it was still pretty long though). The food was delicious and the strawberry lemonade they were serving up was refreshing in the summer heat. 

There was one stage with music, and it did add a nice touch to the festival, but it still wasn't worth it. There's a food truck park in Atlanta that you can go to without paying an entry fee that probably had most of the same trucks. 

Overall the park was too crowded, it was too hot and the lines were too long. We made the best of it and enjoyed the day because we were with our friends. However, we already decidd we would not be coming back to this event again. I honestly don't like writing bad reviews, and it's not that it was a bad event, it just wasn't worth it. 

Did you go to the Atlanta Street Food Festival? Let me know what you tried and if it was worth standing in those lines for!

xx Kristen 

Tuesday Tunes

In this new series of posts you'll find new songs I've been listening to this week! Some of them are new, some are just newly found. At the end of each Tuesday Tunes post you'll find a Spotify playlist so you can listen to the songs straight away! Enjoy!

1. I Was Made for Loving You - Tori Kelly and Ed Sheeran

If you know me, you know I love Ed Sheeran so this was a no-brainer. Tori Kelly's voice goes perfectly with his in this beautiful song.

2. Unsteady - X Ambassadors

I tweeted about this band last week, I seriously love their new album that just came out at the end of last month. You've probably already heard Renegade, this is a great song in that same vein.

3. Summertime - The Mowgli's

They just released this single and it's perfect for summer! Super upbeat and fun, if you loved "I'm Good" by them, you'll love this new track!

4. Until The Morning - Kris Kross Amsterdam and CHOCO

Not sure how I found this, also not really sure how to describe the sound. Just listen to it, it's awesome.

5. Hey Mama - David Guetta, Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha and Afrojack

You've heard this song, I'm positive, but I love it and I've been playing it for weeks so I had to include it. Nicki Minaj is just all kinds of wonderful and this song is so catchy.

6. Untouchable - Tritonal and Cash Cash

This song will make you dance in your car, a must for summer playlists.

7. Black Magic - Little Mix

This song is everything a pop song should be! It's fun, catchy and doesn't 100% make sense.

8. Go Big or Go Home - American Authors

9. Let's Not Be Alone Tonight - R5

Sometimes all you need are some fun songs to sing along to when you're riding around all summer. Both of these songs have that pop/rock blend that was made for the radio and I don't hate it.

10. Break Up With Him - Old Dominion

My taste in music is pretty varied, gotta throw some country in there! Old Dominion has the same country/rock/R&B sound that Sam Hunt has perfected.

Please share any new songs you think I might like in the comments below. I'm always looking for new music!

xx Kristen

Luna del Mar

"She was a lot like the ocean, a lot like the wind and a lot like the stars. She taught me how to drown and feel things above the sky" - R.M. Drake

Acrylic paint on canvas. March 2015.