Kids Exchange - State Fairgrounds, Raleigh

I know I have a few moms and future moms that read my blog so I wanted to pass this info along. This weekend the Jim Graham building at the state fairgrounds will be housing the annual (I think) Kids Exchange sale. I am actually selling all my daughter's newborn and 0-3 month clothing in the sale. Yesterday when I went to drop everything off, I was treated to a preview. This sale is MASSIVE. I love being able to re-use other's clothing and for others to use mine. I've quickly learned that babies grow so fast that some of her clothing has never even been worn by the time she outgrows it!

I had no idea as to the enormity of this sale before yesterday and I cannot wait to go to the seller's pre-sale on Thursday!! It's absolutely not just clothing and everything looks so well organized (down to toys being sectioned by gender and type). The public sales are:

Friday, July 24 9am-6pm

Saturday, July 25 9am-5pm

Sunday, July 26 10am-5pm 50% Off Day

I loved that they give you the choice to either pick up your unsold items at the end or donate to charity. I'll let you know how I make out. I'm hoping to just break even, but I secretly know there's no way that will happen!!!

Photo study - Jack Johnson

I went and saw Jack Johnson two years ago at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. The show was sold out and it was packed. This is a small venue and it was before he gained the popularity he has now. It felt intimate. It was great.

Last night I saw him at Walnut Creek in Raleigh. Neil Halstead and Rogue Waves (two different bands) were the openers and they were both great. Neil Halstead was kind of folky and Rogue Waves was rock. I'm definitely going to buy a Rogue Waves album, they were really my cup of tea.

Jack Johnson and his band were fantastic and as down to earth as you can possibly be in a large venue that is so commercial. They played all but one of the songs I wanted to hear. I really love his lyrics. He is a true romantic. Missing from the equation was my husband, who returns tomorrow thank goodness, but I did get to take my sister and a gal pal. The weather was fantastic. The crowd was pretty subdued.
The photos I took are pretty crappy because I took a little POS digital (they don't allow any cameras with removable lenses) and the damn thing just didn't like the combination of low light and distance shots. I'm still going to share a few though because I loved all the images projected onto the screens on the stage.[Begin rant] I think I've probably been to Walnut Creek about a dozen times over the years and the sound is almost always underwhelming. The parking and getting in and out of that place are a joke. They need to tear it down and put something that isn't halfway to Benson and has more then a two lane road to access it. I do love being outdoors for concerts but Walnut Creek just sucks.[end rant]