Tag: Memorial Day Weekend

May 2019: In a Nutshell

by Ashley DeLarge1 Comment on May 2019: In a Nutshell

Good Morning and Happy Friday, everyone!

We’ve made it to another weekend- and we’re leaving another month behind us! It’s hard to believe that June is here and we’re halfway through 2019 already. There’s still so much I want to accomplish and do before Winter creeps up on us again- and now the pressure is really on since Summer is pretty much here now!

I plan to do a mid-year “check in” regarding my New Year’s Resolutions, goals, aspirations, etc. now that we’re a few hours shy from being six months into 2019- but before I do that- I wanted to focus on taking a look back on May.

This past month has been one of the busiest, most surreal, exciting and unexpected for me- filled with big life changes, travel, a festival for good measure- and lots of time with friends and family. I’m still in a bit of a daze that these past few weeks happened- but when I think about them, I can’t help but smile!

The biggest and probably most important thing to happen in May was that I packed up and left my life and nearly everything I’ve ever known as a city girl behind- choosing instead to move out to the more rural, picturesque and “rustic” Pioneer Valley to forge a new chapter in my life and be a bit more independent while living on my own. I’ve only been here for a couple of weeks- but I truly love it here and I have lots of fun posts planned as I continue to familiarize myself with my new neighborhood and all it’s quirky attractions.

I had posted some photos of my apartment in the “bare bones” stage just hours after my move in- but I’m expecting the last of my furniture to arrive in the days ahead so be prepared for a LOT of home decor talk on here and my social media in June! I’ve got a Pinterest account and an empty shopping cart on Etsy- and I know how to use them.

Cambridge, MA. May 25th.

Just prior to that, I spent a week in Nevada- with a road trip to San Diego to see White Lies perform mixed in– with my West Coast Wife, Kelsey- and her husband and little girl. My days were super relaxing, laid-back, and filled with air conditioning, binge-watching true crime dramas and lots of good food- which is how all vacations should be, really. I couldn’t have asked for a better stay and I am so excited to head back there this Fall.

And then there was Boston Calling- where I stopped by last Saturday to spend time with my Indie617 crew, my good friend Steven who was in town- and see some incredible artists while the sun was shining bright. I had the most perfect day while I was there- and I can’t wait to gush all about it during my show tomorrow at the station (from 12-4 PM EST!)

I’m already speculating about next year’s lineup- that’s how eager I am to do it all over again!

And as always- there were plenty of dinners and celebrations at my mom’s house, with my friends in and around the city- and in the Valley as well.

I’m hoping to carry some of this momentum with me into June. I’m already kicking things off with a visit from my BFF Sean- who is coming to stay for the weekend so I can show him around my place and my neighborhood- and the 16th season of PaintBox kicks off near the end of the month- which I have been tirelessly preparing for and am so thrilled and anxious to see just how all the hard work myself and all of the cast and crew have put in these past few months pays off (fingers crossed!)

I also intend to show off some of the Valley here on Blondie Birdie, share some recipes from my sparkling new kitchen- and give a glimpse into some of my favorite Summer ensembles now that warmer days and sunshine are- hopefully– on the way!

Here’s to May- and June being just as lovely for all of us!

I hope you all have a wonderful, fun and safe weekend ahead. I’ll be back on Monday to get the Summer season going!

xx

– Ashley –

“Here Comes The Calling…”

by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment on “Here Comes The Calling…”

Good Morning, Happy Monday- and Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

My goodness, what a weekend I’ve had- and because today is a holiday and I have the day off from work as a result- I am absolutely looking forward to decompressing and taking it easy. I’ve got some laid back lunch/shopping plans with my mom during the day, and then a movie date a little later on tonight (I’m finally seeing “John Wick 3” and I couldn’t be more excited about it!)

I’ll also be sporadically applying aloe vera throughout the day since I got a teeny, tiny sunburn from Saturday. Come to find out- me, the Queen of SPF 50- managed to forget to apply a good amount to my collarbone area and upper arms in the frenzy that was Boston Calling. Not my proudest moment- but the redness and soreness will definitely serve as a painful reminder for next time. *DON’T* forget to apply sunscreen!

Yes, this past Saturday was an absolute whirlwind of incredible music, delicious food, and good times among friends. I spent my day at Boston Calling with the Indie617 crew and my dear friend Steven, who was in town to do lights for Hozier at the festival- and I had the absolute best time ever.

Things kicked off with a little patio pre-party from 12-2 at Casa Caña in Cambridge- where I broadcast my show, soaked up the sun and grooved to good tunes before it was time to make my way over to the Harvard University Athletics Complex- which is where the festival is now housed after moving from City Hall Plaza a couple of years ago.

From there, my day was spent hanging out with Steven where we got to walk around, catch up, and stuff our faces with our favorite festival must-have- the “BBQ Bomb” from The Smoke Shop BBQ. It’s essentially a waffle cone filled with meat, mac and cheese, beans and coleslaw- and it’s life-changing. Steven and I discovered them last year at Boston Calling when he was in town with The Killers- and it was pretty much the number one thing on our itinerary this past Saturday afternoon.

I also spent time at the Indie617 media tent where lots of great artist interviews and coverage was taking place throughout the three days of the festival (which wrapped up last night with a closing performance by Travis Scott.) The photos and videos will be up on the Indie617 website- but you can also peep our social media for clips and behind the scenes footage that we shot during the event.

There was also beer. A lot of beer- which is always appreciated on hot days. I work with an incredibly talented, eager, hard-working and super fun team of people at the station and I’m so unbelievably grateful to be apart of their ranks and to be able to participate in unbelievably cool events like this with them.

And, just a reminder- but you can listen to me on Saturdays from 12-4 PM (EST). I return to the studio this coming weekend! Download our free app or stream online at our website to listen!

And then there were the artists- and what an incredible lineup Saturday had. Clairo, Mitski, Hozier (and I had the best seat in the house to see the whole, stunning performance!) and Tame Impala’s mindblowing set to close out the evening. I sang along. I danced- shamelessly- and managed to take a few good photos when the moment was right!

As always, if you’d like to make any of the images below bigger- simply click on them!

It truly was an awesome day/night and I cannot wait to do it again next year.

That just about does it for me today, since I have to get on the road to go meet with my mom and start our adventure for the day. With May coming to an end this week (!!!) I’m going to be taking a look at some of my favorite things from this past month- before wrapping it up with a neat little look-back/recap on Friday morning.

I hope you all have a safe, sunny and fun-filled Monday. It’s the unofficial start of the Summer- so let’s get through this short week together!

xx

– Ashley –

May 2018: In a Nutshell

by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment on May 2018: In a Nutshell

Good Morning and Happy Thursday, everyone! The weekend is so close we can practically reach out and touch it!

I am admittedly feeling pretty under the weather today. Ever since I got back from D.C., I’ve been battling a somewhat tough-as-nails flu that has rendered me essentially helpless and useless for the past 48+ hours. I’m hoping it breaks before the weekend so I’m not bedridden during my days off- but we’ll see! I’ve got plenty of things to binge On-Demand and on Netflix if it doesn’t.

But enough jumping ahead! This post is about jumping backwards (a little) and taking a nice, long and loving look at the month of May, 2018- and what a month it was!

In perhaps what proved to be one of my busiest, bustling, most jam-packed few weeks ever- May started off with a bang when my friends and I ditched work for a day to kick off the Summer slightly early at Singing Beach- and set off on a seasonal mission to try as many new restaurants and bars as possible (Citrus & Salt is a hit, by the way!)

Mother’s Day was spent brunching and shopping with my mom, and with the warm weather finally here to stay for a while- I spent more time working out/exercising outdoors (when we weren’t having tornado watches, anyway.) Thankfully- storms didn’t blow us away- but the Editors sure did during their show at the Paradise Rock Club on May 16th! Soooo good!

Romantics everywhere celebrated the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle while Bostonians everywhere mourned the ends of the seasons for both the Bruins and Celtics. Let’s go Golden Knights!

But of course, this past weekend and all the crazy fun that came with it was the perfect way to round out May. It started last Wednesday night- when my friend from Ireland came into town to have dinner and do some sightseeing while we caught up since we’d last seen each other in Vegas back in February. It was beautiful outside, which made the night even better- and that weather carried all the way over into Friday- which was also Day 1 of the Boston Calling Music Festival.

I was fortunate enough to have a VIP pass, and seized the opportunity to see acts like Portugal, The Man – Paramore, The National, and my favorite boys by way of fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada- The Killers! The whole day/night was absolute magic. I couldn’t stop smiling. Here are a few of my favorite photos I snapped of the scene with my phone (Click to Enlarge!)

It should be noted that one of those photos is of the “BBQ Bomb” they were selling at The Smoke Shop BBQ’s tent- which was a waffle cone filled with beans, queso mac & cheese, and pulled pork. It may have been one of the best things I’ve ever purchased (or ever ate, really.)

Come Saturday morning, it was off to Logan International to catch a quickie flight to Washington D.C. to spend Memorial Day weekend with my friend Duncan (formerly of San Diego- and now based in Chicago!) who I hadn’t seen since the last time we were in D.C. together a couple of years ago to attend a friend of his’ wedding ceremony. The warm weather held up for most of the weekend- save for a couple of showers and scattered thunderstorms- which was nice.

I forgot how beautiful and clean many section of D.C. were- and although certain parts of the city (particularly the monuments) were pretty packed in the afternoons- by nighttime everyone had cleared out and I was able to do some serious tourist-y stuff like walk the entire Mall to the Capitol Building and Supreme Court without seeing another soul for hours. It was pretty amazing- and the pictures I took speak for themselves!

While we were in town, we caught a showing of “Shear Madness” at the Kennedy Center, which was SO much fun- and I made sure to make stops at Arlington Cemetery to pay my respects and the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery to see the amazing new portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama before I had to head back home and beat the post-holiday traffic on Monday morning.

It was such a lovely weekend- and I took a lot of photos along the way. Below are some of my favorites! (Click to Enlarge!)

So what’s in store for June when I’m feeling better? More travel and beach days, I’m hoping! More Summer fashion and awesome cookout recipes, definitely- and maybe seeing some familiar faces who will be in the area over the next couple of weeks!

But until then- here’s to May- which was wildly fun and unexpected. Here’s to this coming weekend being filled with endless possibilities- and here’s to me beating this awful cold once and for all!

Have a beautiful, fantastic weekend, everyone! See you all next week!

xx

– Ashley –

“I’ve Got No Roots” – A Summer 2018 Playlist

by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment on “I’ve Got No Roots” – A Summer 2018 Playlist

Good Afternoon and TGIF, everyone!

I’m getting ready to head out to the first day of this weekend’s Boston Calling Music Festival to catch sets from The Killers, The National, Paramore- and many more!- before I have to grab my backpack and fly on out to Washington D.C. first thing tomorrow morning!

But before I go, and to kick off the *semi-official* start of the Summer season this Memorial Day weekend- I put together a little playlist of songs I’ve been listening to lately (the title inspired by the super catchy Alice Merton song- which is also included!) that have gotten me into that jet-setting, beach-going, road-trip planning state of mind I’m always in this time of year.

This is “I’ve Got No Roots” – A Summer 2018 Playlist!

– TRACKS –

  1. Alice Merton – No Roots
  2. Middle Kids – Mistake
  3. CHVRCHES – Get Out
  4. The Decemberists – Severed
  5. Beach House – Dark Spring
  6. Japanese Breakfast – Boyish
  7. Tennis – No Exit
  8. Bastille – Quarter Past Midnight
  9. The Vaccines – I Can’t Quit
  10. Hinds – The Club
  11. Courtney Barnett – Nameless, Faceless
  12. Yuno – No Going Back

Here’s wishing everyone a safe, sunny, and fun Memorial Day weekend! I’ll be back on Tuesday with my favorite odds and ends from this past month- as well as plenty of fun stories to share!

If you’d like to follow my travels over the next few days, be sure to follow me on Instagram!

xx

– Ashley –