High Fives and Hugs, or That Time I Got a Tattoo and Went to a Rock Concert

I'm such a rebel, guys.

Last Friday I drove to Albany to drop off Husmann (who, thanks to an ill-timed hailstorm, could not come with us to Austin and instead had to spend the weekend in search of a new car) and attend my little sister's dance recital (which we won't talk about because my hometown's dance company is not to be taken seriously).

Britny and I drove to Austin the next morning and talked about Harry Potter most of the way there, which was fitting since that evening we got our Harry Potter tattoos. I hadn't planned on getting any of my tattoos until I moved to Austin, but that changed a few of weeks ago during a rewatch of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

There is something about the first book and movie–okay, that's a lie. There is just something about Harry Potter in general that makes me emotional. (I guess these things happen when you've been invested in something for thirteen years.) So somewhere between the Mirror of Erised and detention in the Forbidden Forest, I decided I didn't want to wait another year for my Harry Potter tattoo. I texted Britny and all of two minutes later we'd made plans to get our tattoos the next time we went to Austin.

Being our first tattoos, we had no idea what to do, so we asked my friend Alissa for help. She referred us to Golden Age Tattoos, but they didn't have time to see us, so one of the artists was incredibly cool and called her old shop, Atomic Tattoo on Burnet. I am incredibly pleased with my lightning bolt and Britny with her stars. I would recommend both of these shops if you're in the area and in need of a tattoo!

On Sunday, we got to Stubb's at about three to wait in line for FALL OUT BOY. I had been checking the weather all week to see how miserable it would be waiting in line, but luckily the high was only 93º and it was cloudy for most of the time. Melany, naturally, had a pack of cards in her purse, so we played a few rounds of BS and Dirty Jack while we waited, and spent the rest of the time saying, "Guys, we're about to see Fall Out Boy. In concert. Like, in an hour. Fall Out Boy."

We were fairly close to the beginning of the line (I mean, compared to where the line ended, we were definitely in the front), so once we made it inside we made a beeline for the merch table and then to the concession stand where we bought BBQ sandwiches and a lot of water. Whitney and Hope, two of my friends from church camp, found me and insisted they both buy my a drink, so I walked away with two rum and Cokes in hand. True friends, I tell ya.

The opener was a band called New Politics and they were great. (It helped that their drummer was incredibly sexy and had a huge smile that was blinding even ten rows back.) At one point, the lead singer stood on the crowd (see above), which requires more trust than I'd ever give to a bunch of teenagers and twenty-somethings suffering from heat exhaustion, but I digress.

Then Fall Out Boy came out and it was PERFECTION. They played songs from all of their albums and mixed it all up and it was BEAUTIFUL. There were several times Melany had to catch my swooning self (see: when Patrick sings "baby" in "Death Valley"). It was everything little junior high Maggie had been hoping for and more. I'm still pretty emotional about it, in case you couldn't tell.

-Maggie