Good friends, good food and good music - a PERFECT Friday night in Austin!

Toni, Kara and I headed out tonight for some food, fun and music! We tried out Bess on W 6th and Pecan, a first for all of us. The atmosphere in the restaurant was really neat.....dimly lit with twinkly lights, and the service was fantastic. The food was a little on the eclectic side, but a yummy surprise!


After dining, our plans included seeing A Fine Frenzy at The Parish. I have seen Ali twice in Austin before....I first discovered her and saw her at Borders in August 2007, and then was lucky to catch her again in Austin in September 2007. She's an amazing singer/songwriter, totally adorable, incredibly sweet....and if it sounds like I have a crush on her, I just might. She's an absolute doll and I haven't stopped enjoying her music since I got the CD 9 months ago.

Funny story.....right before she came on stage, when everyone was anxiously awaiting for her to "Come On, Come Out" (for those of you that don't know AFF's songs, I just made a funny....that's one of her songs on the One Cell in the Sea album - hah!), I decided to take the opportunity to use the bathroom before it all started. Well, when I rounded the corner to go into the door, guess who snuck in right in front of me?? It was Ali. I noticed this and was just smiling to myself. As I was washing my hands, she came out of the stall, and I just said to her "It's so good to have you back in Austin"....we exchanged some words about how the only sink working was the one on the left....I let her know that she had a button on her dress undone and she thanked me for noticing and telling her! She commented that being on a bus full of boys, that is something that none of them would have probably noticed and told her, so she was happy that I did. :) She was on her way out, and a girl came out of the stall near the door...noticed it was Ali....and almost had a heart attack. "OH MY GOD!! It's you!!! OH MY GOD....I love you so much, you have no idea?!!?! Can I get a hug, I need a picture! OH MY GOD!!!". Ali was so sweet.....she just smiled, laughed, accepted the hug, and said that she'd be available after the show for pictures but she had to run to get the show started. She was so gracious and adorable. It was so sweet.

So, the show started, and Ali was incredible. She just has the one album, about 12 songs, and she's been singing them for almost a year on tour, so it was fun to see how she has mixed up her own songs a little bit since I'd seen her last. She sang them with a few extra notes, there was a little more instrumental sound in the arrangements.....all of it was fantastic. She sang a few cover songs too, which was a treat. She even sang a Death Cab for Cutie song....and it was my favorite one, hers too, "I'll Follow You in to the Night", and it was beautiful.

headed over to the She left the stage, came back and played a few more songs, and then Kara and I immediatelymerch table to wait for the chance to say hello to her afterwards. Oh, I got another AFF tee, and I love it.....Ali designed them herself, and it's so cute. I think that I'll wear it tomorrow, I just can't wait! :)

Kara was able to get her ticket signed, and I got a quick picture with Ali. She thanked me again for helping her in the bathroom earlier, and I told her how proud I was that she is doing so good, and to come back to Austin real soon.


I love to hang out with my girls, and tonight was nothing less than the same great times that I always have with Kara and Toni. We laugh and get to act a little silly....which is so much needed and warranted when we take a break from our busy lives for a little while. :)