Jamie's Super Terrific Day Out.

I don't get out much....

It's a fact.

I'm a homebody- and I like it. I don't usually feel like I'm missing out on anything. I like steadiness and knowing what's coming next and feeling in control. But like anything else..... Too much of a good thing can be just that.... Too much. When you let yourself get too comfortable you miss out.

I almost missed out big time recently and am so glad I didn't

Early in May, my brother David and sister -in-law Jena invited Mark and I to go to a concert with them. They had 2 extra tickets and thought of us! These were not just any concert tickets. These were e "U2 360 concert tour" tickets!!

Mark wasn't interested so I thought "well that's it for that" and told them to invite another couple. Instead they opened up the invitation to Carly and I. Carly had never been to a concert before.

I almost declined. I kept thinking I didn't know what would be going on that close to the end of the school year and it was a school night (work night) and maybe it would just be too much trouble and then I wondered when I became such a stick in the mud.

We accepted!

David & Jena arrived in early afternoon after we'd all gotten home from work and school. Carly and I changed into our "day out" clothes, filled our water bottles and hopped in the back of David & Jena's car and we were off.

Poor Mark.

I left him with quite the evening line-up to take care of. If truth be told, I was kind of excited for him to see what many of my evenings are like....

5:oopm Drive Samantha to her softball game and make sure that Jacob has all his baseball stuff in the car and Mason is in his scout uniform.

5:15 pm After dropping Samantha off a few blocks south of our house, turn around and proceed to drop off Jacob several blocks North of our home for baseball practice at 5:30pm

5:30pm After dropping Jacob off at Baseball practice, turn back around and go back to Samantha's baseball field to watch her game.

6:30pm Pack up chairs, water bottles and kids when Samantha's game is over and drop off Mason at scouts and then go to pick up Jacob at his baseball practice.

7:15ish Go home and figure out what to feed children. Get them to brush their teeth, get Pj's on and get to bed.

Jacob's baseball practice got cancelled because the days before had been raining however that Tuesday was a beautiful day. So Mark got off easy. His running around was lessened considerably.

The first stop David and Jena had planned on Jamie's super Terrific day out was a doughnut shop in Draper? I can't remember where it was except that we were past the point of the mountain.....

It is called "Beyond Glaze" and it is soooo good.

Jena had heard about it and tried it out on a previous visit and had raved about their maple bacon doughnut. I just wasn't so sure about that.... Maple Bacon doughnut? sounded weird but can I say after trying it that it is

WEIRDLY DELICIOUS!

We tried several different kinds: coconut, mint "grasshopper", raspberry, and more. I remember that my favorites were the coconut and the maple bacon.

Carly was very excited about the doughnuts...

Stop #2 on Jamie's super Terrific day out was a kitchen store in salt lake called Orson Gygi's. They had everything for the hobby baker! It was fun to browse and look at all the different cooking gadgets, pans, decorating tools and candies and just in case you were looking for a giant bar of chocolate for a guy named Peter. They have it!

My super terrific day out got even more super terrific with Stop #3 : dinner at "The Garden". I was the only one of the 4 of us that had never been there. (Another sign I need to get out more.) I got a strawberry chicken salad that was, indeed, super terrific!

The view from the "The Garden"

Beautiful.

The players in JSTDO:

Jamie, Carly, Jena, David

After leaving the restaurant we drove to Rice Eccles stadium at University of Utah. I hadn't really been aware that it was an outdoor concert until that day. I am glad I didn't know that because of all the rain and cold we'd had that month I would have been stressing.

It couldn't have been more beautiful. The sun was shining. It was cool but not cold. It was wonderful.

As we approached the stadium from the parking lot Carly could hear the band "The Fray" already playing. At that point I think she was more excited to see them than U2. She wasn't sure she knew much by U2 but was up for her first concert experience.

She was pulling my hand pretty hard, trying to get us to hurry, hurry, hurry!

We were trying but you should have seen Jena's shoes!

They were not hurry, hurry, hurry shoes but we put a little more skip in our step for CarCar.

First Glimpse while David found out about a change with our seats.

To prove we were actually there!

I learned darkness and anonymity are very good for releasing inhibitions.

I danced and danced and sang and nobody laughed at me.

Not even my 17 yr old daughter.

Bless her.

She began to realize just how much U2 she really did know..

I kept hearing "oh... I know this song!"

We had such a good time.

The show was amazing. The music was great.

The atmosphere was fun. There were people of all ages there. We didn't encounter anyone obnoxious.

The weather couldn't have been nicer. I had a light jacket and was so comfortable. I loved the outdoor atmosphere. The sound, although loud, wasn't overwhelming. It was just invigorating.

Carly bought a concert shirt. The frugal mom in me counseled "don't do it" (they were $40) and I didn't get one but she said "It's my first concert! I have to" and she did and has been wearing it proudly.

It was a perfect "super terrific day out" and I am so glad I didn't miss it.

Thank you David and Jena for getting this stick out of the mud!