They say time flies when you’re having fun; it also flies when you’re incredibly busy. We’ve been busting our asses the last few months here in Kunming, taking on extra teaching jobs, editing videos, working on the website, and planning our big summer back in the good ole’ US of A. We’ll be on American soil for about six weeks, and boy have we got some huge plans. Thanks to geographical distance, time difference, and busy schedules, we rarely get the chance to chat with friends back home. Although we may seem worlds apart, we still think about and miss everyone all the time, and we’re hoping to spend as much time with as many friends and family members as we can this summer. Whether it’s enjoying a Bell’s in the Mitten, raging GD50 in Chitown, celebrating at our various wedding festivities, or going on Phish tour, we’re beyond ready to get home and do this thing right. Here are our plans for our Summer Tour 2015 – hopefully our paths will cross somewhere along the way!
6/26-7/2: A Few Days in the D
I’ll be in Detroit on the night of June 26th, while Rachel will get there a bit later on the 29th. In a bit of a change from my usual choice of concerts, I’m excited to be heading to the D’Angelo show in Royal Oak on the 27th. Other than that, we’ll just be hanging out – disc golfing on Belle Isle, catching a few Tigs games, and of course closing shit down at My Dad’s Bar on at least one occasion.
7/2-6: Fare thee Well
Thanks to a bit of birthday luck and more hours of English teaching than we can count, we’re fortunate enough to be going to all three nights of the Grateful Dead’s “Fare thee Well” shows in Chicago. We’re getting in a day early to hit the Greensky Bluegrass, Infamous Stringdusters, and Keller Williams show at the Chicago Theatre. On the 4th, we’ll be ragin’ late night at the Pink Talking Fish after-party as well. If you still don’t have tickets, put that finger in the air and at least come join us for all the pre and post-show festivities!
7/7-11: Bachelor/Engagement Party
For those of you who can’t make it down south to celebrate at our wedding, we’ve gone ahead and added an extra couple of parties just for you. We’ll be gathering at the Tompkins Center at Windmill Pointe Park on Friday, July 10th for a Detroit-themed bash full of Coney and Atwater. The next night just might get a little wild with my bachelor party.
7/12-14: Rock & Roll and Baseball
After the party winds down in Detroit, we’re heading to Cleveland with pieces of each family to check out the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Rachel and her crew will be heading straight to Johnson City on the 13th, but I’m heading to Cincinnati with two of my brothers for the MLB All-Star shindig. We’ve got Fanfest tickets and hope to score some to either the Home Run Derby or the actual All-Star Game as well.
7/13-15: Better Head Back to Tennessee, Jed
A few days before the wedding, Rachel will be in Johnson City getting ready for the big day. She’s going to have a wedding shower and maybe even a bachelorette party on the 15th, so come celebrate with us if you’ll be around.
7/16-18: Wedding Bells
We’ve got the entire Cloud 9 Farm to ourselves for three whole days starting on July 16th, when we’ll check in and start setting things up. There’s going to be a rehearsal dinner for the families and wedding parties on the 17th, but the party really starts on the 18th with our wedding – otherwise known as Camp Gypsy. We can’t wait to celebrate with everyone in the beautiful mountain setting outside of Asheville!
7/19-29: Honeymoon/Relaxing
Seeing as how we already drained our bank accounts to be able to attend GD50 and stay in a nice hotel, we’re looking at that trip as our “hippie-moon,” even if it’s before the wedding. As such, our honeymoon is going to be simple and relaxing. We’re just going to spend a few extra days in Asheville at Rachel’s mom and stepdad’s mountain house – hiking, discing, and enjoying the food, beverage, and music of this great city. There will also be a few days back in JC before the next adventure.
7/31-8/5: Phish SE Tour
I’ve seen a lot of Phish shows in a lot of places, but I’ve never done a SE tour. That all changes this summer, with two shows in Atlanta, one in Alabama, and one in Nashville. We don’t have any tickets yet, but we’re hoping some nice people may bring some as wedding gifts (hint hint wink wink)! Ticket or no ticket, we’ll be there and we’ll be in all four shows.
8/6-7: Dirty 30
Although I’d love to get back home for my 30th birthday, the logistics of our trip have ensured that I’ll be raging my dirty thirty in the Windy City. It’ll be tough to top my epic 21st birthday weekend there, but I’m sure as hell gonna try!
8/8-10: Alpine Valley
We’re ending our trip home the only way we know how – by seeing a few more Phish shows! For the first time since our epic summer ’09, we’ll be catching the boys at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. We’re driving back to Chicago after the second night and hopping right on a plane back to China the next day.
Once we get back to China in mid-August, our future is very much up in the air. We could be moving to Indonesia, or we could be working in Kunming for another semester to save up for another huge adventure. Either way, chances are we won’t be back in the land of the free for quite some time. Ya’ll know where we’re going to be and what we’re going to do, so make some time for your favorite English-teaching, Chinese-speaking, jamband-following couple, and rage with us this summer!
