Blink, Beach and 'Burg

Unplanned coordinating outfits, 2002

Blink 182 has influenced my life more than any other band...they gave my brother a job, which got me 1) super-cool status in high school when I got to hand out leftover Hurley and Blink bumper stickers, 2) backstage access to Warped Tour 2000, and 3) my awesome sister-in-law Carter (who met Jake on the road).

When Joe and I started chatting it up Freshman year at BYU, our similar tastes in music was a big plus. We talked about the concerts we went to, downloaded literally thousands of songs (thanks BYU's internet and audiogalaxy,) made each other awesome mixes, and made plans to attend a few shows together.

It's been 7.5 years, but we finally got to see a Blink show together! It was at the amphitheater in Virginia Beach...which is pretty much the coolest place to see a show ever. We had lawn seats, (but we mostly stood,) a great view, and tons of room to move around. Cons: the 3.5-turned-6.5-hour trip to get there, missing the opening band (Asher Roth,) the next band (All-American Rejects,) canceling due to a wrist injury, and parking five million miles away. Pros: Watching Fall Out Boy and Blink rock their little hearts out, knowing the words to every song, and dancing in the rain.

That night we stayed in Virginia Beach, and the next day enjoyed riding a 2-seater bicycle thingy up and down the boardwalk. We saw a pet adoption fair, leftover sand sculptures and a jetski contest.

Then we went to Williamsburg for a night. We walked around William & Mary and did whatever free stuff we could downtown. It's weird to go places where Joe applied to law school and think "We could have ended up here..." It was a beautiful campus, but we really enjoy ourselves here.

And that was our quick trip last weekend! This was actually my first time out of the "NoVa" (Northern Virginia) area since we've moved here (other than plane trips across the country). We definitely need to do it more often. Tons more of Virginia to enjoy!