Coachella '16

Ok, Ok...........I said we were back and that was it, nothing else followed. Maybe you feel like the hubs in the car, maybe you're cheesing like me, who knows, but what I do know is, I vow to actually get it back up and going!! Yeah!!!!! Like for real this time! I probably have stuff from the East Coast still left to talk about.........maybe one day I'll get caught up! Until then, look forward to keeping you posted and hope you enjoy what we have so far! FYI, the videos may have explicit lyrics, view at your own risk!

So the hubs and I went to this little music festival, maybe you've heard of it, maybe not, Coachella this past April. Close to our West Coast arrival, we were discussing how it was on our bucket lists and that we should look up to see when tickets went on sale/when it was, etc. Lo and behold, we got online and tickets were actually on sale at that moment and there was no question about what was about to take place. Weekend 1 was already sold out, so if we were going to do this, we had to decide now. With one look, two weekend 2 tickets were added to cart and the countdown began. In the months leading up to April we often discussed if we would be able to handle a full three day weekend in the desert listening to music for hours and hours each day. We had been to one day of the three day Governor's Ball music festival and honestly, that was a bit rough. I don't even really know why. It wasn't as hot, we didn't have too many drinks, and it was one day, but that alone made us a little nervous. Then the various news articles speculating who would be performing this year started coming out. The name that they all kept mentioning, well at least the ones I read, was Guns N' Roses. We were both beyond excited, though we knew it could easily just be a nasty rumor. As the months kept passing. more and more information kept coming out to keep us on the edge of our seats, eager to just get to Coachella already. First was the Coachella app, it was pretty much useless at first (makes sense seeing as the festival was still months away), but it still had basic info and the countdown on it to keep you going! Then, it was the main information everyone was waiting for, the set times for each of the three days! That alone should have been enough, but no, then there was the ever important outfit preparation for the weekend!

Now when it comes to packing, I am the best/worst ever. Kev just throws whatever together (according to the situation obviously) which in the case was t-shirts and shorts, a day before hand. I on the other hand have to start a pile months in advance of possibilities, then start narrowing it down. In the meantime though, I am still shopping and adding and subtracting to my pile. Needless to say, the hubs goes a little bonkers, but I am usually relaxed the day we are leaving because I am confident with my selections and know I have everything. Since this was our inaugural Coachella, I decided in true festival form to let my inner flower child fly...literally. I swear I had something floral on with every outfit and of course, I made the ever important flower crown (which I threw away the same day because it got too hot and annoying lol). My essentials were: #1 Bandanna. I was so surprised how much I actually needed it, but the first day I tried to not wear one and it was coughing most of the night and morning. Luckily I had some vintage ones from my grandma packed and ready to go. #2 Layers. Now I know that's not really an item, but layers are essential. It goes from chilly to warm morning, hot day, and cold evening. I had everything from bikinis to jackets on and everything in between. #3 Sun protection and a water bottle. Hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen, oh my. My hats are cheap ones from a market in the theater district in NYC. For my sunglasses I went with the classic, round Ray-Ban, perfect hippie style for festivals. Sunscreen and water bottle are pretty self explanatory, but if you want to know what I use, let me know! The brands I was mostly rocking this year were Flynn Skye, Auguste the Label, Gucci, Triangl, Tularosa, and One Teaspoon!     

The festival itself was a blast.  Guns and Roses weren't even the highlight of the show.  During Ice Cube's set, there was a surprise NWA reunion complete with Dr. Dre that was incredible.  Sia's dancing girl performed with her, and we discovered many great new artists that we'd never personally heard of or listened to before but are now on permanent rotation on iTunes.  Joywave in particular was pretty cool to see live.  It was also neat checking out genre's we weren't familiar with.  Kevin listens to hard rock and metal primarily, but on the way home he even purchased a reggae album (Protoje).  The crowd was a lot of fun and we managed to keep Kevin from getting extra crispy in the dry, summer sun.  The food was great, they had a lot of awesome craft beers, and the grounds the festival were held in itself were really nice, contrary to what we would have thought prior to attending.  All around great experience and must do event if you are ever given the opportunity.

Overall, it was an amazing experience and we hope to do it again.