it's like we were in college. except we didn't know each other in college.

a couple of nights ago, the husband and I showed up at Rudyards to see a really lovely Swedish band play. the place wasn't packed at all, which made me both delighted and sorry - delighted because I got to sit in the front and feel like these talented people were playing FOR ME, sorry because they're really good and I'd like them to have the satisfaction of playing to a room of energetic people their first night in Houston. the show wasn't supposed to start until ELEVEN. at night. and there were 2 opening bands. we wondered at the audacious thought of heading out to a bar to see a Swedish band so late on a school night... wild times!

but first, we hit my dear friend Sara's unveiling at The Drake. she's been undergoing a makeover for the past 6 months and working so hard!:

us at the beginning of a night full of hope and promise:



here are a few friends from Saturday night group:



Sara after the reveal... she was so beautiful! truthfully, she always has been to me - she's very classy and so warm. for the 'Before' picture, they made her wear the most shapeless thing ever, she couldn't wear makeup or fix her hair, and they instructed her not to smile.



Ernest escorting her out:




me with Sara:



and Ernest:



I was so happy for her! and so proud of what she accomplished. what a precious lady she is to me.


M and I had, like four hours 'til our band was supposed to play, so we came home to grab a bite, chill out, and change clothes. I'm pretty sure I flipped between The Biggest Loser and A Very Duggar Wedding, much to my husband's chagrin. Eventually, we headed into the night to Rudz and got there in time to see the second opener News On the March... I liked them very much! Something of the barbershop quartet in these people, and they sounded really good and tight (sorry for the darkness of these photos, but I wanted to keep the bar-feel):






and then Loney, Dear got up there. and woo-hoo!



here is a terribly awfully fuzzy clip of them doing their thing. the reason it's so blurry is because I didn't want to be the person holding up their camera to record the band, but they sounded so good I really wanted to chronicle it somehow so I had the camera down in my lap and was trying to be nonchalant. I'm very cool.



me with Emil Svanängen (who strongly resembles a guy M works with... so now Emil is also known to me as the Indie M. Cook). my smile is so big it looks like it's eating the rest of my face.:



I was obsessed with this song of theirs for awhile... and it still makes me want to jump around, I won't lie. it's kind of a jam. the girl, Malin, isn't with them on this tour and we wondered if there was a mystery there, so M and I were snooping around online to try to find out what happened... we didn't find anything.

M and Chris:




I got a t-shirt, which I wore all day yesterday. Emil sold it to me. what a fun night. and we stayed awake through the whole thing.


-m.y.