Oh 'cause honey believe me, I'd sure love to call you my girlfriend.

The second exciting thing I was looking forward to this week certainly did not disappoint...

I saw Matthew Sweet!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, I'd been looking forward to this ever since I stumbled across his tour schedule a few months ago. So so so amazing!

The tour he's currently on is a 20th anniversary of his album "Girlfriend". Yes, I was only three when this album came out, but it's still in my Top Ten Albums of all time. Pure power-pop goodness. I remember when my dad made me listen to it in middle school, and my mind was officially blown.

My dad was supposed to come with me, but had to work in the morning, so I ended up going by myself! I'm seriously loving this new Independent Amanda!

The show was at The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, where I saw Royce a few months ago. The opening act was a band from Atlanta called the Shadowboxers.

You can't tell but they were gorgeous. All of them.

They were really great-loved the sound and the energy. I will definitely be picking up their EP.

After their set, I went up to talk to the guitarist (the one in the middle) and to see if he was as cute up close as he was on stage (spoiler alert: he was) and he was super friendly, so bonus points! Honestly, I hope they come back to Michigan again, I would love to see a whole set.

That's seriously one of my favorite things about live music-getting exposed to new bands. Love love love.

After the break, I was able to sneak back to my place up front and wait for Matthew Sweet to come on. The Pig is so small, I was basically on stage haha It was great!


The concert was amazing. They played "Girlfriend" in it's entirety plus a few others off his new album and the albums in between. I seriously cannot say enough how great it was-I was dancing and singing along and just enjoying every second of being there.

Being in front meant being close to the speakers, so my ears were definitely feeling it the next day, but it was so so so worth it!

When all you can see are the years passing by. And I have made up my mind that those days are gone.

Source: Uploaded by user via Amanda on Pinterest

And I Welcome you to Detroit City. I said Welcome to Detroit City.

(Psst...I'm the featured blogger over at For The Love Of Blogs today! Go check out some of my fall music faves!)

With the Tigers making it to the second round of the playoffs and the Lions starting the season 5-1 (and hosting Monday Night Football!), there's been lots of buzz around Detroit this fall. Even though the city gets a bad rap, I love it. I can't wait to go to school downtown and I love traveling down there for games and concerts. These are some of the pins I've found on Pinterest that showcase some of what I love about the city.

Source: thedailytelecraft.com via Amanda on Pinterest

The Heidelberg Project-amazingly beautiful art.

Source: google.com via Lauren Jaime on Pinterest

Love this quote. But if I'm being honest, I love Detroit.

Source: etsy.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Three-One-Third.

Source: etsy.com via Amanda on Pinterest

This picture kills me. I miss Tiger Stadium.

Source: None via Rob on Pinterest

I'm a sucker for a boy in a Old English D fitted.

Are you guys on Pinterest? If you need an invite, let me know! I'd be happy to send you one!
What pins are you guys loving this week? Go link up with Michelle at The Vintage Apple to share yours and see what everyone else is sharing!

(And go check me out at FTLOB!)

You could never stand living with a man, who could only lead you halfway to love.

One of the things helping me to get through my stressful week was knowing that this week I had lots of exciting stuff going on....

The first one was this past Saturday night. My dad was celebrating his birthday on Sunday so the whole family went to check out the Jayhawks the night before downtown Ann Arbor.

We sat in the balcony, meaning I couldn't really get any good pictures of the band :-(

At a concert years ago, my dad told me "Some concerts are standing up and dancing concerts, and some concerts are sitting down concerts". This one was *definitely* a sitting down concert-it was still a good time, but I love to dance so I was little upset (although the people around were probably happy they didn't have to witness my dancing haha)

My whole family really liked the opening act-his name was Rayland Baxter. His voice was super unique and great, plus it was just him and his guitar so what's not to love.

My dad went down and bought one of his EP's after he was finished.

Every one was hand wrapped and stamped with wax-adorbs.

The Jayhwaks played a relatively fast set, but I enjoyed a lot of it. They didn't play anything off Rainy Day Music, which disappointed me, but they played a lot off Tomorrow The Green Grass, so that made up for it. Definitely a good time!

The Tigers were playing the same night, so my dad and I were trying to stay in "the bubble" but my bubble got burst by the annoying woman in front of me who shoved her phone in my face to show me the score. Ugh. Oh well, that just meant I could go to bed earlier, which worked out considering I had to work the next morning lol

So I'm gonna keep on living the way I live, doing the things that make me smile. Cause I never want to forget, these days.

Oh, my gosh. This week has just been ridiculous. Mostly good stuff, but, phew! Am I glad to be done with this week!

I said on Twitter that my life wouldn't feel nearly as busy if I didn't scehdule things around the Tigers and the Lions and it's so true! But with playoff baseball and the Lions hosting Monday Night Football, those were just events not to be missed! Unfortunately, the Tigers season ended last night, but it was fun while it lasted-I'm already excited for next season!

But at least we still have the Lions....(there's a sentence I never thought I'd say!)

Tuesday my mom and I took a cooking class at work. This was the third I've taken and the second with my mom. The class was all about gluten free baking and we both learned a ton of stuff! We got to take home lots of yummy things too!

(clockwise)
brownies, foccacia, white bread, banana muffins

Wednesday was a day that I was dreading, to be completely honest. I had a lawsuit brought against me and Wednesday was out mediation. Luckily, we were able to settle, which means it's over and we don't have to appear in front of the judge. I really feel like God had a huge hand in that because we both were able to come to an agreement, and I was pretty convinced that was going to be impossible. I'm just so thankful for my friends and family for all their support-I really would have been a wreck without them! And for all of the wonderful people in blog land who have sent me prayers and good vibes-I couldn't have done it without each and everyone. Seriously, the support just brought me to tears. So blessed.

After that was done, I was able to spend some time decompressing with a friend before heading to babysit. Another thing I'm so thankful for is the kids my temple has brought into my life when I was teaching. Having them remember me when they see me and give me the biggest hugs is one of the best feelings in the world. Plus, getting to babysit a few of them and spend time with them is just such a joy in my life. Totally helps me put things in perspective!

I was trying to get tickets to see the Tigers on Thursday, but everyone had to work so I ended up working an entire 8 hour day on my day off-love when that happens, right? haha

Friday, I actually got to enjoy my day off-got my brows waxes, bought some new nail polish and...went on a date! It was the first one in entirely too long, and we ended up having a pretty good time. I'm not sure if he's my "type" but it was nice to be able to just enjoy the company of someone of the male variety for a few hours!

This coming week is going to be pretty busy as well, but luckily it's all fun things this time! Like I said, I'm just glad to be done with all the crazy-ness!

If they only knew the girl with the tattoo, like I do.

The bar was quickly filling up. The boys took their stations at the bar, drinks in hand, tapping their feet and moving their head to pulsing rhythm of the house music. The girls migrated to the dance floor, packs of three or four, dancing with each other seductively, putting on a show, all while pretending to ignore the row of men staring at them.

As he sipped his beer, he noticed her. Twisting and turning to the music, laughing with her girl friends. Her black pants clung to her long legs, only accentuated by the five inch high heels. Her hair flowed down her back, long blond locks, waving as she danced. The gold top she was wearing reflected the dim lights, making it hard to ignore her. Every eye in the bar was drawn to her, including his.

She felt his eyes, and turned to meet his glance. After making eye contact, she flashed him a sly smile and flicked her head around, continuing her dancing.

Her dancing followed the beat of the music, her hips keeping time with the bass. The faster it got, the more her shirt would ride up her back, but she acted as though she didn't notice- soon, it had crept up over her waist. She continued to dance, and the lights highlighted her exposed flesh, especially the small piece of a tattoo on her left side.

She glanced over her shoulder, to see if he was still watching. He was, and now he was moving closer.

Just as she wanted.

This post is in response to a prompt at Write on Edge: tattoos.

Your faith was strong but you needed proof.

Source: tumblr.com via Amanda on Pinterest

This morning is going to be rough. A few extra prayers and some good vibes sent my way would be greatly appreciated.

♥