Boots w/ da Fur!!

Today is Black Friday, and boy oh boy are there some deals to be had!
Sales, Glorious Sales!! I did half of my Christmas shopping today. I got my brothers and my dad's gifts, and part of my mom's gift. Best Buy- I got a nice protective cover for my iPod w/ an arm band, 3 iTunes cards-packaged together, normally $30 got it for $25 (got the last one too!!!!). Also picked up a nice GPS System (esp for me as I get lost ALL THE TIME!!), a Garmin , plus a nice case to carry it in, that was on sale too.Target- found Mark's present, along with Night at the Museum for $6. Payless- got my boots w/ da fur and a pair of heels for half off (except they weren't wide width and they were on sale for $9....but I got them for half off!)
Dad also did good on sales; he bought a saw last week, and it was on sale for 40 off this week, so he went to Lowe's where he got it and got money back. With that money that he got back he got a shop vac (that was on sale) and a storage unit for the garage...I am so proud of him!
All in all, it was a very successful day!

Thanksgiving 2008

Happy Thankgiving to all! Hope yours was as good as mine!!

Scouting for Food 2008

Yesterday was the annual Scouting for Food. Last year we collected 1154 boxes of cans, and this year we collected 1212 boxes of canned goods (at the Fenton Firehouse)!!!! This was my 6th year doing this, and I had a blast! We not only had boxes soley of tuna, we also had mac'n'cheese boxes. We had 12 boxes of tuna, and 8 boxes of mac'n'cheese (that I am aware of). I did a little bit of everything again; making boxes, getting cans out of the cars, putting cans on the table, boxing dry goods, plastic, glass, cans, labling the boxes, and carrying it over to the truck. We took our annual family picture in front of the piles of cans; minus Mark as he was unable to attend. The weather was decent; cold but dry.
This year I left Scouting for Food earlier than usual as I had a bridal shower to go to. So I went to Suzanne's Bridal Shower and had a lot of fun! Then V, Sarah and I booked it over to the movie theater to see Twilight. V and Sarah ended up paying the adult price of $9, whereas I paid the student price of $8 (the student price). I didn't ask for the student price, however that's what I paid. It pays to have good genes ;) I did enjoy Twilight and will purchase it when it comes out on DVD. It wasn't as good as it could have been, but it was a nice escape. All in all Saturday was a lot of fun, tiring but fun! I can't wait until next year's Scouting for Food!

Change for the better?

History was made last night. Barack Obama became the first Afrian-American to be elected president. The final results were: Obama w/ 349 electoral votes and McCain with 173. One happy note: Missouri did remain red by going w/ McCain :) This was perhaps the most important election in years. Either way history was going to be made; either a female VP or a black president. Personally, I voted for McCain, and think that the wrong candidate is heading to the White House. Voting turn outs were amazing. I spent about 45 minutes in line; I brought a lawn chair and the line moved well so the wait wasn't that bad. After voting I collected my free donugt from Krispy Kreme (yummy), and mom and Mark got free coffe from Starbucks. I hate coffee so I got a frappuchino. Dad said he saw on the news that some Black Panthers (whom I have absolutely no respect for) were standing outside of a polling place, blocking the entrance to McCain voters,stating that either way an African American would be president. (Don't they know by doing that they are pushing us years back- come on ppl drop the race issue). Kudos to the man who said "I'm former Army, you don't scare me." and pushed them aside and voted. I know that Obama does not support this action in any way. So change is on its way... or so people say. But will this change be for the good or bad? No one is exactly sure. Hopefully, America got it right, and Obama will pull us out of this economic mess. As long as my taxes are not raised and goverment doesn't control my healthcare (as were mentioned on Obama's platform) I'll be happy. So congratulations to Barack Obama, I wish you luck- I'm going to remain a Republican and support McCain but I accept Obama's victory.
Note: Security had better be double for Obama, we unfortunately have some sickos out there who can't see beyond the color of someone's skin.

Updates

Here is the latest in JBear's world:
*Home Repairs: The kitchen is 98% done; we are waiting for the rest of the cabinet handles, and a new door. It looks awesome! The new floor is fantastic; it looks like a ceramic floor but its not. Its called Dura Ceramic. Its really neat. The whole house is more earthy and open. The siding and roof are done. The gutters are being installed t/m! Hopefully that won't take too long. I will be glad when all of the hammering is done. We are repainting the front and back doors as well as the garage door a nice red color. The next room to be re-done is our office. We have to de-junk it first and then re-paint it. Should be interesting.
*Apartment: Isn't going to happen anytime soon unless I get a job. I got layed off (really don't feel like going into it). So I'm back with Office Team, hopefully I will get some temp work soon. Meanwhile, I need to call the apartment comlplex and explain the situation to them and see if we can push the move in date back a few more months.
*Knees: I am in physical therapy at the moment. My knees are still hurting, most of it comes from my knees not tracking right. So we are taping my right knee so that it does that. I have my good and bad days with my knees. As it is I am limlited on the temp jobs I can accept. I can not stand for longer than 5 minutes without pain; so there goes the idea of me working at any retail place.

*Random Note: The store Linens'n'Things is closing for good. They went bankrupt and were sold last week. They are having liquidation sales right now. So if you need house stuff, go there and get it for a decent price.

What a mess!

Okay so the past month, our kitchen has been a mess. Our icebox leaked and flooded our kitchen. Luckily we caught it before it got to the carpet. So the floor in the kitchen was ruined, the wallpaper got messed up, the lower cabinets got warped. So we filed an insurance claim, figuring we would get a new floor.....we are and then some.... Because the lower cabinets are 20 years old and we can't match them we are getting new cabinets. We are also getting a new counter top b/c they can't fit the old one on the new cabinets. That also means new sink and faucet too. We also got our kitchen repainted and wallpapered. B/c our kitchen opens up so much to the living room, our living room, hallway, entry wall, and stair well got painted too. So we had to pick out a color. Mom wanted to keep the green color but she wanted to go a bit deeper in color. While, we were debating color choices, the painters suggested having an accent wall. So thats how we ended up with two different colors. We now have accent walls in Honeycomb, and the other walls are Vegan (or sea mist as I call them). Mom and I picked out a new wall paper that has a nice trim at the top. The Honeycomb color makes the room warmer, earthier and opens it up more. The deeper green looks great. So they started painting on Tuesday, and now the living room and 3/4 of the kitchen are painted. The wallpaper will be done next Thursday. Another great thing; our insurance paid to have a crew come in and pack all of our living room and kitchen up for us. Not only did they pack it up, they will (and have) put everything back where it belongs (give or take a few things that we re-arrange to make it personal). The DVD shelves I have to re-organize; I categorize and then alphabetize the DVD's (for those who know me, this shouldn't suprise you), one unit down, one to go. Our new cabinets and counter will be installed w/in the next two weeks. When that happens, the crew will come back and pack up our stuff and then put it back when they're done. Then the floor guys will come and put our floor in. Then life and the house will return to normal! So by mid October or so our house will look amazing. Did I mention last week we had our new roof put on, and we should be getting new siding and guttering put on soon as well? The roof and siding were expected and planned. The whole kitchen fiasco was an unpleasant suprise, but it turned out for the better. Mom had been wanting a new counter (the current one has super glue on it from my tower making days). Unfortunately, we had to choose a new kitchen floor b/c the design we have has been disconintued...and we only had this floor installed last October! Oh, we are also getting new curtains. I will probally make an album of the event with plenty of before and after pics. I soo can not wait until things return to normal...or as normal as things get around here.

One Step At a Time

One step at a time...really good advice...I just gotta take it. My knees, especially my right knee, have been really hurting lately. So this weekend I tried resting and icing my knees. My little brother, Mark, reminded me that I am in recovering and I need to let myself do exactly that; recover. Its just hard, I want so badly to be back to my normal self. But he's right, I have to slow down and take it easy and recover. My stitches come out t/m, and the doc will check out my knees and let me know how I'm doing. However, I am the one who really knows how my body is. So I am going to do my best and try to slow down and recover. I am going to try to take things one step at a time, one day at a time. Eventually, I will get back on track, but I gotta be patient. As hard as that is. And its easier said than done, but I will do my best. So....I will try to take it slow, allow my knees time to recover and be patient.

I'm moving out!

Yep that's right! I am moving...well not until November 7th. I signed a lease today for a two bedroom apartment in Park Meadows in Manchester. The second bedroom is really small so that will be my office. The master bedroom has a walk-in closet!! So I will have plenty of room for my clothes and shoes. The office/den (2nd bedroom) also has a closet, so I can put my dresses and sweaters there. I have a nice little dinning room, a linen closet in the bathroom, a nice living room, and a patio! Of course my patio will have lots of flowers. I will have hanging baskets, flower pots, wind chimes, and some little patio lights. I got a really good move-in deal, so my rent is actually lower. My cat, Phantom, will move in two weeks after I move in when everything is settled and no more loud noises. Hopefully, he will adjust and be able to stay there with me. Otherwise he will have to return home, which will break my heart. I am hoping Phantom will love it there and will become King of the Apartment....or at least the den where I'll put his litter box and a tunnel for him to hide in (so he can have a hiding place). I signed a 13th month lease, one month free (the first full month). So December I won't have to pay rent:) My apartment will only be 10-15 minutes away from my office (when the Fenton office opens up). So I will be saving a lot on gas money. I am close to home, so I can do laundry there and visit the family. I will be close to Froggiegirl and Gimlet, and I know Manchester very well; so I know where to do my shopping and banking. I am sooo excited about moving in. I will def. have a little party when I'm all settled. I am excited for November to get here, meanwhile I will be saving my money, looking for a bedroom set, and getting other little things for my apartment. The bedroom furniture will be the most expensive thing. I already have a great entertainment center, I'm taking the old loveseat and rocker (which are in great condition) from downstairs, grandma's kitchen table and chairs (its small but perfect), and my corner desk from the office here at home. I picked up another sphere chair for my apartment, so now I have two courderoy chairs; the faded one will go on the patio and the other will probally go in the office or the living room. That's all for now, so stay tuned for more news!!

Olympics 2008

The Summer Olympic Games in Bejing, China 2008 started last Friday and I am officially addicted. I have been watching swimming, gymnastics, syncronized diving, beach volleyball, and waterpolo. Mostly I have been watching Michael Phelps in swimming. The guy is amazing! He has already won 4 Gold medals and is on pace to win 4 more! He was part of the 4x100 men's relay, which had an amazing finish! The Bejing games are amazing. As always swimming and gymnastics hold my main attention. The men's gymnastics team took bronze and the Women's gymnastics team took silver. They were both great. The judges however need to stop kissing China's butt. Seriously, the Chinese athletes can do no wrong (even when they obiviously do), and everyone else is full of flaws. It is majorly apparent in gymnastics. The judges need to be replaced with more impartial judges. All of the athletes are incredible, and the judges need to realize that. At least the swimming judges are impartial and focusing on the performance by the individual athlete and not the country they are representing. Phelps is not the only amazing swimmer there, Matt Grevers is another one. He stands 6'8" and has an amazing stroke! Not to mention he is really HOTT! Kudos to all of the US Swimmers; they are all amazing and very disciplined. So I will be watching the Olympics until it is over. There are still a lot of events left. So go team U.S.A!!

Look Ma, No Crutches

Yesterday, JBear had bilateral arthiscopic surgery. Translation Double knee surgery; I had my knees scopped and cleaned. I am doing great. I am already moving around w/o crutches for short distances. I am eating (major suprise for me b/c usually I can't eat anything for a few days until the drugs are out of my system). My ankles are normal size and not swelling, and I can move them around w/o pain. I am resting and taking it easy. Surgery went great and I'm on the road to recovery.

Ode to Tax Free Weekend

There is a very special event that comes once a year, every year. No, not Christmas. Something almost as good. It is Tax Free Weekend!!!! This means you can purchase clothes, shoes, back-to-school supplies, and supplies without paying taxes!! It is awesome. Every year, fewer and fewer cities participate (the loosers). However, South County Mall and Crestwood Mall (which should already admit its dead and just give up) participated. I went to South County in search of a dress for my dear friend V's wedding, a pair of shoes, and whatever else I fancied. I went to JCPenney, and voila! I found the perfect dress, and it was on sale. However, it came up even cheaper when it was wrung up. Plus it was tax free!!!! Then I ventured to Payless, in search of the perfect shoes to match. I had seen a pair the other night when I was shopping w/ V, Sarah, and Meghan. Luckily, I found those shoes, in my size, and another pair of shoes. Unfortunately, the second pair of shoes were a 1/2 size too big. So the store called the Crestwood store, and put the right size on hold for me. Plus I got a coupon for $3 off when I exchanged the shoes. Long story short, the final price on the shoes were $4!! So now I have these kickin' red shoes! I also got some bubble bath stuff from Bath and Body Works. Buy one, get one 50% off. Plus I had a coupon, so I got a free aromatherapy lotion for my mom. All in all it was a sucessful shopping trip. I love Tax Free Weekend!!

JBear got a new job!!

After 3 years of searching, I have finally found a REAL job!! It is a full time job w/ benefits, paid sick days, paid vacattion, and the potential for bonuses!! I am going to be a Staffing Coordinator for ProLogistix. ProLogistix is a staffing company for manufacturing, factories, and warehouses. Right now I am going to be doing a catch-all posistion. I will be learning the Staffing Coordinator position, and the Front Desk Coordinator posistion. For three months I will be working in the Bridgeton office, it will be an annoying long drive, but in Novemeber (hopefully) they will be opening an office in Fenton (my hometown), and I will be moving to that office!!!! I am sooo excited about this job. The guy who hired me is excited about me joining the team, and thinks that I will be a great addition. I start training on Monday, and I put my two weeks notice for Pucks. My new boss is willing to work around my Puck's schedule (which isn't much). And he is willing to work around my surgery too. So I'm going to train for 2 weeks and a day, have my surgery, come back Friday or the next Monday, and resume training. My awesome mother is going to drive me until I can drive again. So for three months, I will be dealing with the nightmare that is 270 traffic, however, it will be worth it when I relocate to the Fenton office.

Update

It is already the middle of July; where has the summer gone?! I am amazed at how fast this summer is going. Here is what's going on in SoCo Bear's world:
* The 4th of July was spent in St. Charles w/ one of my fave, fave, fave brothers Erin. We enjoyed sweet tea, gossip, and a fantastic display of fireworks. After the fireworks we returned to Erin's dorm and met up w/ another fave brother of mine; Kelly. We then went to Dennys to eat and chat.
* My book club is on our third book; this month we are reading The Princess Bride. Previous Books were Sickened, and Emma. We have met twice and are planning on meeting at Denny's in Early August for our third meeting.
* Another group, Kyle's Killer B Movies, has also begun meeting. We enjoyed our first night of horror movies. The theme was 'When Animals Attack'. We discussed future themes, and are trying to figure out when we can meet again.
*Saturday, July 26th OneRepublic will perform for Live off the Levee. Hopefully I will be in attendence w/ several friends.
*The 5th Annual National Volunteer Coference for Alpha Phi Omega will take place on July 31st thru August 3rd in Independence, MO. I will be once again attending this. I am sooo excited!! This conference provides an excellent opportunity for me to a) escape St. Louis (if only for a few days), b) catch up w/ my alumni brethren, and c) gain more skills that will not only help me as an APO Alumni, but aslo as an employee. Not all of the workshops are about APO, a few are directed towards obtaining employment and making yourself more valuable as an employee. Last year I had the former APO president (who helps people w/ resumes and cover letters proffessionally) customize my resume and cover letter; it worked great!!.
*I had two cortizone shots on Wed for my knees; one each. Those hurt! Hopefully they will help out my knees which have been bothering me for quite some time now. I saw a new knee doctor last week and had X-rays and MRI's done (fun fun). The end result: surgery. Not to worry, its just orthoscopic surgery; basically going in and cleaning things up. I am having both knees done at once (what I call a double whammy). This shortens the recovery time to 3 months. I have done this before, back in 2004. D-Day is August 12th. No worries, I'll be up and about and causing mischeif within no time!

Cardinals start off the Second Half right

The second half of the baseball season is under way. The Cardinals have started things off right; they have won their first three games. The are currently playing the San Diego Padres (the series stands 3-0 at the moment). It is the bottom of the eight inning, and the score is 5-3 Cards (Third Baseman Troy Glaus just hit a three-run homerun!!).
Ryan Ludwick and Albert Pujols made their first and seventh, respecively, appearences at the 2008 All Stars Game. Pujols went 2 for 3 and Ludwick made an impressive catch. Sadly the National League fell 40-3 to the American League. But the game went 15 innings, so we at least gave them a run for their money. Mark Mulder's highly anticipated return was cut short after 20 pitches. Mulder started experiencing elbow pains, and it is likely his season is over, and quite possibly his career. Adam Wainwright is progressing nicely and should rejoin the club in August. Chris Carpenter began his 30 day rehab assignment in Double A; and reports are looking good. The Cardinals are 2 games behind Central Divison leaders the Chicago Cubs (boo), and three games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers (better known as the Brew Crew). The Brew Crew comes to Busch Stadium next for a 4 games series. The Cards then head to New York for a 3 games series against the Mets, and then they head South for a 4 game series against the Atlanta Braves.
The July 31st trading deadline is fast approaching;pitching- thats what the Cardinals need. The Cubs and the Brew Crew have recently obtained high octane pitchers. The Cards need to follow suit. General Manager John Mozeliak is waiting until the end to better address the needs of the team. Mozeliak is saying that Carpenter will return before Wainwright. Say what?! However, he does admit that outcome is a bit fuzzy yet. What the Cards need to do is keep playing good baseball and focus on what they have rather than what they don't. There is still a lot of baseball left to play, so the Birds on the Bat need to remain focused.
*Por Siempre: Let's Go Cards!!

Happy Independence Day!!

Happy 4th of July to all! I am off to St. Charles tonight to hang out w/ one of my favorite brothers, Erin, and see some fireworks!! Enjoy our nations birthday and see some fireworks tonight!! Happy Independence Day!!

Random

Okay so I haven't blogged in a while (yes I am well aware that it has been a long while froggiegirl), so here's whats up with me:
EMAA- We had our second annual EMAA BBQ on June 7th, and it was a great success! We had chicken and beef kabobs, plus veggies, chips, fruit, brownies, cookies, and much more! JKO was the grill master, with Marlene and Courtney prepping the Kabobs. Tonight we are meeting up again at the Missouri Botanical Gardens for a concert. Tonight we'll be hearing some jazz, funk and motown! We are also having a little picnic. We are going to a Cards game on August 22nd (my dad is joining us for this one). I am officially registered for the National Volunteer Conference!! I am soo excited; I can't wait to see all my alumni brothers again!!
Cardinals: So far I have been to 4 games; 2 wins and 2 losses. I will be going again w/ the family on July 1st to see the Birds on the Bat take on the Mets. Since mom is origninaly from NYC and a reformed Mets fan, this will be an interesting game. Cards won the series against the Boston Red Sox, and smashed the Detroit Tigers last night 8-4. Cheating pitcher Kenny Rogers (think the tar incident). Aaron Miles is on fire; he has the highest batting average in interleague play. Yadier Molina is back behind the plate after missing a few games after a scary collision at home plate. Albert Pujols is looking to start tonight after being on the 15 day disabled list for a left calf strain on June 10th. Mark Mulder is making some progress: he might be pitching for us soon!!!
Let's Go Cards!!
Loki: Loki is back to her hyper puppy self. Poor baby suffered from severe spring allergies that put her on steriods for 3 weeks. Poor baby was sluggish and wasn't her playful self. She is back to stealing things, playing with her toys (she now has a stuffed fox), and swimming in the lake. She continues to provide us with daily entertainment.
General: I picked up a new swimsuit from Sports Authority on Sat, a two piece I could do laps in and still get a tan (that is if I don't burn first, suprise, surprise). I also got a sleeveless top to work out it, I am going to start getting serious about working out again. My knees are in bad shape and I'm seeing a knee doc soon, so I want to get my legs strong. Plus I want to be more in shape and healthier. I am finally comfortable with the way I look again, and want to keep it that way and still enjoy fatty foods (ie ice cream, chocolate and other stuff that is bad for you but sooo good). The summer is flying by soo quickly, its almost July!! That's crazy! I am going to try to hit the pool as often as I can, as I love swimming. Froggiegirl and I have already made one trip to Chesterfield pool, the first of many I'm sure. It was so refreshing to be in the water and relax! That is all for now. I hope do to a guest blog by my dad soon!

New Camera!!

I have a new camera!! My old one had been acting up and I could no longer take a decent picture. So I upgraded. Big time. I got a Blue Nikon Coopix 10.0 Megapixel camera. However, getting a new camera was not as easy as it seems:
April 30th: The camera goes on sale at Best Buy online; so I order it.

May 8th: I order a 2 GB memory card online (yet another good price-technically paid same amount for 1GB for a 2 GB), try tracking my camera order- can't do it so I call Best Buy help; apparently my particular camera (I wanted a blue coolpix) is sold out and they do not know when they will get it in. I am told I might have to wait until June 7th to get my camera! Ack! However, I got a good price on the camera and I want the blue one, so I extend my order.

May 9th: I recieve an email stating my camera is on its way!! The email also provides a link to UPS where I can track the progress of my camera. I also get an email stating that my memory card is at best buy. I pick up my memory card.

May 10th: My camera arrives in Hodgkins, IL where it will sit for two days....

May 12th: My camera arrives in Earth City. My economic suprlus check (which is providing most of the means to get this camera) comes in the mail!

May 13th: My camera arrives to my house!!! I have taken some pics with it, and am enjoying my new toy.

Birthday Recap

So on May 5th, JBear turned 26. Yikes, I'm getting up there in years. Well since my bday was on a Monday (I'm rather like Garfield in hating Mondays), I decided to celebrate my birthday all weekend. Saturday night I went to dinner at Chevy's. I was joined by Froggiegirl, Gimlet, Liz and her son Andy, and my friend Adam (who I hadn't seen in almost 5 years!). Of course, I recieved a sombrero and an ice cream treat as the restaurant waiters sang Happy Birthday to me. Adam suprised me by giving me not only a card but a bag of chocolate (yay!), and a gift certificate to Best Buy (I got a nice camera case for my new camera- more on that later). After Chevy's we decided to go to Fritz's for ice cream (and so I could spend more time w/ Adam b/c he showed up late). I had a delicious Strawberry Cheesecake Sundae (ty Froggiegirl). Sunday night the family and I went out to Outback where I enjoyed a nice ceasar salad, steak and baked potato w/ butter and cheese. I had the Chocolate Thunder from Down Under (Brownie w/ ice cream and choc sauce) for dessert. When we got home, we played "birthday" b/c mom is spending the week at 6th grade camp. I got a docking station stereo for my ipod w/ a remote control and a iTunes card from the parents. From my brother I recieved a teapot. I hate coffee, so I drink tea. Originally, I thought I wanted a crazy daisy teapot from Harney and Sons. However, upon discovering the brown betty at World Market, I changed my mind. However, mom had already ordered the teapot along with some Spiced Plum tea (which is quite yummy). So I got to choose which teapot I liked best. Ultimately the brown betty won. Today, I went to World Market to buy some tea strainers and a tin of Paradise Mate tea (another yummy tea I discovered). On my actualy bday, Monday, May 5th, my brother and I went to the zoo. It was a beautiful day, and we had a great time. That night, dad and I went to Cold Stone Creamery for my free ice cream (I signed up for their bday ice cream club). It was Dad's first time there, and he enjoyed it. Oh and to cap it off, the Cardinals defeated the Rockies 6-5. All in all my birthday was very good. What made it even better was all the people wishing me "Happy Birthday". Oh, and Froggiegirl (and I suppose Gimlet) got me a card, bottle of Vanilla Bean Lotion (a seasonal fave of mine), and an iTunes Card. Much love to all of my friends and I loved all the well wishes and presents!! Now I am typing this and enjoying my first cup of Spiced Plum tea w/ honey. I am quite pleased w/ the outcome. My new teapot works great!

Weight Loss 2008

As many of you were unaware, I went on a diet starting in January of the new year. First off let me state that no one pushed me to diet. It was my choice. Not because I wanted to be pin thin like Hollywood seems to think is so great. I went on a diet to feel better about myself and my health; my knee doctor told me to keep my weight down to keep my knees in good shape. Plus some of my clothes for work were not fitting me, so it was either get a new warddrobe or diet. I chose the less expensive route. So I started dieting and exercising. The first 15 pounds came off easily. So far I have lost 20 lbs!! I am now eating better, exercising regularly, and am generally healthier. My clothes fit much better and I am comfortable with the way I look again. My curves are back (real curves not the curves created by clothes), a very important thing to me. I am happy with my appearance and that is the important part. I dieted because I needed to change the way I felt about my self and the way I was eating. I am still losing weight, its just more of a maitenence mode now.

Santana, Santana, Santana!!!

On Wednesday, April 23rd, my mother and I had the opportunity to see Carlos Santana (my fave artist) in concert! It was awesome!!! The music was incredible. Santana really knows how to play that guitar! The level of playing the instruments was out of this world; the bongo players had a duel and at one time one of them was using his elbows to play! The keyboarder was in a world of his own, the drummer was awesome. The vocalists (besides Santana) were really good; good, clear, stong voices. I knew the majority of the songs, only a few I didn't recognize but enjoyed. Songs played were: Black Magic Woman, Maria Maria, Oye Como Va, Smooth, (De Le)Yalleo, Foo Foo, Corazon Espinado, and the night was finished with one of my new favorites: Into the Night!! I was salsa and merengue dancing in the aisles; we were on the floor, row 22, seats 11 and 12 (right on the aisle). We had great seats!!! Mom and I enjoyed ourselves. Dad was oringally going to go w/ me but he had a boyscout event that he had to attend. So dad's loss was mom's gain. I picked up a Santana shirt that had the concert cities on the back and a CD called Food for Thought. Mom and I enjoyed dinner at Hard Rock Cafe at Union Station prior to the concert. This was by far the best concert I have ever been to! Carlos Santana really knows how to put on a good show!!