WHERE TO START!

heya readers!
if you're just now tuning in to this button from the left-hand sidebar you will be reading these posts in reverse & are sure to be seriously confused, which is no good.
sooooo, here is a link that will start you from the beginning:

THE ANNIE STELA FALL HOME TOUR
once you read this entry you can read in the correct order by clicking "newer posts", which is located at the very end of the post on the left:)

xox, rachel

That Year

while i was on tour with annie we went through endless amounts of albums on our ipods.
annie got me acquainted with Brandi Carlile's record "Give Up the Ghost"
this song breaks me
it drove us through the mountains of colorado at a speed that time traveled us back a good 10 years.
music is crazy like that isn't it?
{song: That Year artist: Brandi Carlile}

Topeka Driving VIDEO

this is how i choose to remember it.....

Geneseo New York SHOW

yes, i am playing catch up from TOUR....
time just got away from me at the end.
i went into "powering through mode" after we left michigan.
here are some shots of us getting ready to load up the car so Annie could go play a show in the basement of a house for a bunch of college kids.
talk about memory lane.
so glad that chapter of my life is OVER!

putting on boots. they were a staple

a little soundcheck.
look at those concrete walls. to annie's left there was a washer & dryer. all you can do with a basement like that is string up christmas lights.
they did it up right:)

while annie was playing i was able to get these super rad shadow shots of her against those cold grey walls

and she rallied all those kids together when she pulled out her ACDC cover
"You Shook Me All Night Long"
there was howling involved when this song came to a close.
xox, rachel
*wanna listen to Annie Stela? visit her Facebook page HERE & go to her music player on the left sidebar:)*

keep it Handmade

I AM HOME FROM TOUR!
i am EXHAUSTED
i am happy
i am sad
i am missing
i am relieved
i am foggy
i am proud
i will forever be remembering
I WILL NEVER FORGET:)
xox, rachel

Rockwood NYC

i cannot believe the tour is coming to a close
it has been the best whirlwind of my life!
here are a couple shots from the show last night in NYC @ the Rockwood
what a terrific venue

i'm getting all teary-eyed.....
i will be doing catch-up posts intermixed with my regular postings in the weeks to come.
until then i'm FULLY enjoying my last full day in Brooklyn with amy of ThePeachTree
getting muffins from Crumbs
taking product shots in the quaint little parksand listening to Wilco on the turntablethis is living life........
xox, rachel

working on my cornfield walk 19/365

Day 19/365 days on Flickr

working on my cornfield walk
[a random cornfield in Buffalo, Minnesota. and yes, i grabbed this title right from a line out of Frightened Rabbit's "Backwards Walk".]

Keep Me Around

here is a photo of Annie rocking out "Keep Me Around" in Minnesota
wanna hear the album version?
i've got that for ya too:

{song: Keep Me around artist: Annie Stela}
this song is available on Itunes. just make sure you spell the name right;) copy and paste:
Annie Stela
xox, rachel

Only the Young....

we've been covering some serious U.S. ground.
the cobblestone streets of st. charles missouri

the thrift shops of the midwest
R is for rachel
A is for annie
i will never forget those blocks in Kansas
"for me this is heaven...."
just watching my best friend sound check before her show in minnesota"the leaves are fallin"
they literally danced across my hometown street. gusts of wind came in waves and made them scratch against the concrete.
being home is so hard.
i don't want to leave.
i cannot stay.
the last thing i feel right now is strong
i'm holding back tears,
biting my bottom lip,
because i've shed plenty in the past 24 hours.
it's time to get back on the road,
it's time to toughen up,
even if i have to fake it

{Song: Only the Young Artist: Brandon Flowers}

Checked OUT....

.....but trying to check back in

whoops!!!!
how is it wednesday?!?!?!?
i still have 2 shows to post about, random photoshoots, dropping the pa, how we ran out of gas on the highway driving from chicago to detroit in the middle of the night.......
so soooooo much!
but we are in the homes we grew up in and soaking it up.
a song a song, at least i've got a song!!!!

{Song: Green Artist: Alex Lloyd}
be back soon!
hoping to do some major blogging tonight
if i can stay awake
xox, rachel

IOWA Passerby

Iowa was pretty & we found a GREAT place to snap photos
that being said.....
the drive was sloooooow
there were no rest stops
or edible food stops
as annie put it this morning:
"Iowa was for the birds."
still sufferring from the head/chest cold but the Minnesota show was great & i will share more soon.
here is a song for all you awesome readers:)

[Song: Passerby Artist: Allie Moss]
xox, rachel

Missouri show!

the show last night in st. charles Missouri was excellent!
i'm currently suffering from a HORRID head cold and i think my head may explode
BUT, i wanted to share a few shots from the show:)

today we drove 8+ hours and are currently comatose in our hotel room in minnesota.
the drive through Iowa was a bit rough, slooooww and the directions were confusing.
it's crisp and chilly up here.
the air is fresh!
time for some throat coat.
sooooo much more to post of all the in-betweens
soon, when i'm a bit more coherent.
xox, rachel

In My Veins

downtown st. charles, MO reminds me sooooo much of where i grew up.

franklin, MI
this place couldn't be more inviting if it tried
time for a really good song:

[Song: In My Veins artist: Andrew Belle]

MIDWEST is BEST!

both annie & myself hail from the midwest- HOLLLLLER!
how we love it so.
being in missouri is like coming home
the air out here is magic-crisp
the water is perfection.
yesterday we pulled off some random exit and decided to have a photoshoot.
the town church doors were wide open,
a tractor and a fence sat behind it.
here is a taste of what we captured:)

our accomadations last night were so glorious.
we got a late check out so we're just chillin' in the room. catching up on emails, doing a load of laundry, taking long and glorious showers and listening to some Bright Eyes.
off to downtown St. Charles in a bit.
thanks for checking in!
xox,
rachel

Welcome to Topeka Kansas!

a photo of this sweet lone acorn top was our first taste of autumn in Kansas.
oh how we adore the midwest

look at that handful of goodness

we arrived in Topeka Kansas early, which was a nice bonus because that meant we could check into our hotel and get ready there before the show. the street annie played on was quaint and reminded us of Royal Oak, MI, minus about 90% of the people. this town was MUCH quieter.

right before we left for the show there was some wicked awesome light hitting the beds at our not-so-quality Quality Inn. had to snap a shot!

this night was full of shenanigans
let me repeat:
FULL OF SHENANIGANS!
i need to dedicate an entire post to the the series of unfortunate events that took place after we left the hotel for the show because they are too terribly hilarious to get into now
BUT
it was one of those nights....
annie and i kept asking each other, "is this really happening?" and "is someone playing a joke on us?" and then we would erupt in laughter to the point of tears.
upward and onward.
per usual ANNIE ROCKED THE SHOW
NAILED IT!
xox, rachel
*wanna listen to Annie Stela? visit her Facebook page HERE & go to her music player on the left sidebar:)*

max plays 16/365

Day 16/365 on Flickr
max plays
on annie's keyboard.
(the child was pretty much the most adorable little guy ever. and lots of his shirts are from ETSY! couldn't be cooler)

travel day 2

today was drive day

but it started out with
"the tristan homemade soy latte"
which makes for very happy campers:)
(thank you T1 & T2!)
we drove 12 hours straight.
Utah to Kansas.
then we had to unload all the gear into our hotel room, which was on the 2nd floor.
no elevator.
i'm in a coma lying on the bed of a Quality Inn.

some of today's music included:
Fiona Apple- when the pawn
Nada Surf- ALL of it
Robyn- body talk part 1
Jimmy Eat World- invented (we arn't sure about this one)
Band Of Horses- 1st 2 albums
Snow Patrol- final straw & eyes open
Tegan & Sara- so jealous
The Sundays- reading, writing & arithmetic
and some real good playlists.
IPODS ARE THE JAM!
here is a song, i know, i've been slacking- i apologize!it's title is truly how i feel to be having this experience

Ben Folds: The Luckiest
xox, rachel

Welcome to Salt Lake City

(this photo was also Day 15/365 days on Flickr)
tour keeps us busy!!!!
above is the front door of the absolutely UNREAL house annie played a show at last night. one of the homeowners was an architect and the inside was a dream. the acoustics in the room where the show was played blew our minds.
it feels really impersonal to call them homeowners but i feel i gotta protect ya know?
and they were so much MORE than homeowners.... they cooked us a delicious dinner, were as friendly as friendly could be, made latte's in the morning and had our same sense of insane humor.
what more could we ask for?
NOTHING!

this was a pre-show photo i snapped. there are so many good things going on in this room that i don't even know where to start..... so i won't even try.

a shot of the merch setup

and lastly, a shot of the show!
words cannot describe it. the intimate setting and the music put me in a trance.
1st show of the tour could NOT have gone any better and just left me starving for MORE.
BIG DRIVE DAY AHEAD.
next up, topeka, kansas.
HUGE thanks to all the people of Salt Lake who made us feel right at home.
xox, rachel
*wanna listen to Annie Stela? visit her Facebook page HERE & go to her music player on the left sidebar:)*

travel day 1

goodbye L.A.!!!!!
we started our trip out with some good old Jimmy Eat World.
Clarity is their best album (imo), from start to finish. memories of college summer nights.
*(I WILL BE POSTING A SONG HERE SOON)*
fast forward 1 hour
helloooo desert, mountains and ear popping. oww!
good thing we had this gum which i DO recommend. DELISH

stopped for a late lunch before we hit Las Vegas.
food was fresh & the establishment clean!

as we pulled off the highway we saw this gent with the BEST SIGN EVER!

yes, it does read "HUNGRY n UGLY"
speechless......
xox, rachel

I've Landed.....

it hit me that i was "traveling" when i had to throw down 3 bucks for a pack of gum!
airport prices never fail.
and the gum was rancid.
it did help pop my ears.
it also left a uncomfortable burning sensation in my mouth.
i do NOT advise you buy this gum.

i had a speedy layover in the Ft. Worth Texas Airport of which i was only half awake for as i slept a mere 4 hours last night and rose at 5:30 am.
on the second leg of my flight i realized that the only pair of socks i had brought with me were the ones on my feet.
EXCELLENT!
but, if this is the worst thing i forgot then ALL is GOOD:)

welcome to L.A.!!!
good old cali smelled like an ashtray but that was just because all the peeps were getting their fix on. me and my red luggage were waiting curbside.
i was ALL amped up to see my friend....

we arrived back at annie's and i was warmly welcomed with a table full of these
HANDMADE LIMITED EDITION CD's:

does it get any better than this?
the photo gracing the cover was taken of her older brother Lowell back in 1980.
keep it in the family
lastly, for your listening pleasure, is another Annie jam,Little House:

thanks for reading & feel free to come back soon for more.
we leave in the A.M. for Salt Lake City!