Wings Over Miami

This weekend my friends, Julie, Frances and I went to the Wings Over Miami Air Museum. We stumbled upon this place online and went by on Saturday to check it out. This place truly is a hidden gem. The museum is located inside the Tamiami Airport off of 137th Avenue in Kendall.

photo by Joe May

The museum is located inside of a hangar in the airport and has an awesome collection of artifacts, from uniforms to models and actual planes. One of the first displays you see is about the Women's Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs). It was awesome to see something about the ladies in flight during WWII.

When we got inside the actual hangar I was blown away. All of the planes were amazing. The F-14 Tomcat they had on display was so huge, I couldn't believe it. It was awesome to be able to be so close to these planes. The majority of these planes are still out there flying, it's so crazy to see them that close and know that they can fly.

 

They also actively restore planes at the museum. If you pass by during the week you might be able to see someone working on one of the planes.

We were so happy to have found such an awesome place right in our own backyard. Wings Over Miami truly transported us to another place and time, and it was such a great experience. Plus everyone we met there was so nice and totally willing to help us and tell us about what we were seeing. You should definitely go check out Wings Over Miami, it's a can't miss look at classic and military planes right here in Miami.

Royal Wedding Day

After months of waiting it finally was time. Royal Wedding Day! We got to see a normal girl become a princess (more accurately the Duchess of Cambridge). And we finally got to see the dress!

I was one of the people that woke up at 4am (EDT) to watch the events live. I saw the Beckhams arrive as well as Elton John and David Furnish. I saw Wills and Harry leave Clarence House and Kate get into her car. I dozed off during the sermon, but other than that watched the whole thing. It was so cool to see it. My mom told me she was up with me to watch Charles & Diana's wedding, but I was a baby, so I don't remember it. It was great to see the pomp and circumstance, but the touches that Will and Kate made to make this day their own.

Now onto the dress. I thought it was gorgeous. Not at all what I expected of Alexander McQueen's design house, but it suited Kate. The lace kept it romantic, but it was still a modern take on it. I also loved the understated Cartier tiara borrowed from the Queen. And her bouquet was so pretty. I loved that it was small. I have a feeling this is gonna be a huge bridal trend now.

My mom mentioned to me that Kate's dress looked like her wedding dress. And after looking at them I have to agree. Trends definitely are cyclical. My mom's dress was handmade by her mom and grandmother. It was also hand beaded with lace appliques. It had a sweetheart neckline with lace overlay, lace appliques around the bottom of the skirt and even lace around the veil. My dad even noticed the similarities! (And yes that's him pimpin' in his white tux.)

Now wedding day didn't stop there, I put on my HumbleBumbleB fascinator and took my other hats and fascinators to work. Most of the hats where handmade by me. The girls in my department and I wore our hats, royal wedding style! They all loved the hats and fascinators and couldn't get over how cute they were. We also had cake and chocolates to celebrate. I got a lot of double takes when people passed by my desk, but I do love wearing my hat, and the other girls did too.

By the end of the day I was tired from my very very early morning, but I was so happy I got to see the wedding. Cheers and all of the happiness in the world to William and Kate! Did you do anything special for royal wedding day?

R is for Remastered and Rockband too

At last the day has arrived. 9.9.09! Yeah it's cool cause it's all nines, but that't not why I'm so excited. Today is what I have dubbed Beatles Day! The Beatles are exploding all over again today for a new generation to get to know and love them.

A lot of the hype has been about the new Beatles Rockband coming out. And let me tell you, from what I've seen of it, it looks awesome. The limited edition set comes with Beatles style drum set and guitar. And you can also now do three-part harmony just like the Fab Four. Unfortunately I don't have a gaming system, but I can't wait to play it with someone who does!

Also coming out today is the newly remastered Beatles catalog. The new Beatles remastered set has every album the Beatles released (in mono and stereo) plus the singles, a new DVD and tons of new Beatles pics. I can't wait to hear these songs that have been remastered from the original tapes.

Now I've read a lot about these releases, and seen those that rebuff the Beatles. But just a little history to put them in perspective. They are the first boy band. You see the girls that screamed about the New Kids on the Block, N*Sync or the Jonas Brothers? Those girls are just copying what our mothers did for the Beatles. Ever hear feedback on a rock song? Yup, The Beatles did it first. They combined world music instruments (the sitar) into their pop songs before anyone else did it.

And you've probably heard more Beatles songs than you even realize. "Hey Jude," "Hello, Goodbye," "Yesterday," "All You Need Is Love," "Can't Buy Me Love," they are all iconic rock songs made by this one band. There are so many more that are recognizable I can't even list them all.

Needless to say, I was raised in a Beatles household. When my parents got married they each had the album (on vinyl) of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. My brothers are musicians and love The Beatles and I do too. So go out there if you haven't already and listen to those lads from Liverpool. Listen to rock n' roll history being made!

P.S. My fave Beatles albums are Revolver and Rubber Soul. My fave songs are "Blackbird" and "In My Life." Let me know what your favorite Beatles songs and albums are!

H is for History

The 44th president of the United States of America is Barack Obama! WOW...

I can't believe this actually happened. It was an amazing day for this country. Millions got out and waited in line to vote and they made the difference. Now we just have to wait til inauguration day.

This was an amazing thing to be a part of and witness. I have no more words!