Well this FIVE DEGREES of "warmth" that Minnesota welcomed me home with today was a harsh wake-up call. Seriously, it's March. I can live with 30s and 40s, but single digits are no way to step off a plane when wearing sandals still from your morning in Texas (not the smartest move on my part, but hey, I was operating on less than 2 hours of sleep).Anyway, we rushed home and crawled back into bed where I slept until after 3 pm (remember, our flight was at 6:30 am, meaning we left for the airport at 4:15 am). And getting my sleep schedule back on track this week ought to be interesting.But oh my, it was all worth it. I dare say this was one of my favorite SXSW festivals yet (my fifth year), and we had an absolute blast. Not only did we see fantastic music and bask in 80 degrees and sunshine all week long, but seeing old friends is always a wonderful perk as well.The photos above are a) the worst photo I have ever posted on this blog and I deeply apologize but I knew you would want to see Justin Timberlake and b) The scene at the Austin airport when we arrived this morning. I wonder if they came straight to the airport or if they even made it to the hotel? Part of me loves laughing at this, but another part remembers just two years ago when we pulled an all-nighter and then our 6 am flight was delayed for four hours and without even knowing how it happened, I woke up on the same airport floor, myself. So I do feel their pain (but at least the flight was on time).This afternoon I also wrote up a piece for vita.mn on the highlights of the week (photos, too) which you can read over here, if you're so inclined.And as a final wrapup, here are links to all of my photos in case you missed any. Enjoy it because tomorrow it's back to the normal, everyday, non-vacaiton lifestyle.Day OneDay TwoDay ThreeDay FourDay Five

OH YOU GUYS. I'm having so much fun. I got into a secret Macklemore show today (I have amazing friends) and you know, I got to stand right up front during his (short) set. It was a freaking blast. This was one of my favorite shots, but I have a ton more that I'll post later. Right now I gotta get going so I can catch that other guy.You know, Justin Timberlake.Is this the best vacation ever, or WHAT? I might do a set tonight or I might not. We have a 6 am flight tomorrow and depending on how late JT goes on, I might have to book it straight to the airport. And be warned, no cameras allowed at Timberlake tonight. So it'll be instagram, and that's it.UPDATE: You can see a full photo set from my last day at SXSW over here.

Another good day -- but this one included more of the smokin' hot ladyfolk. I caught Solange, Dessa, a band called Phox from Madison (fun surprise!) and the Joy Formidable. All were fantastic. Besides the ladies, Fidlar was solid, as was DIIV. But overall not as much music today -- this girl's getting tired (only eleven bands).But the MOST exciting part of the day? That would be when Jamie and I both won tickets to see JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE tomorrow night FOR FREE in a SMALL VENUE.I KNOW.We are really excited for that, but I must warn you now that I am 99 percent sure they are not gonna let me take photos (boooo!!). So you might get an instagram tomorrow, or something of the like. Unless someone out there is, like, buddies with JT and wants to put a good word in for my photo skillz. Cuz that would be rad.More photos from today are up over here. Enjoy!

Today was so, so good. We started with CHVRCHES, who were really good, and met up with a ton of friends (some of whom we only get to see each year down here) and then on our way back to the hotel before dinner, we decided on the fly to stop into two clubs to check out bands we'd heard good things about. And they both just blew us away, they were so good.The first one was Metz, who I had tickets to in Minneapolis months ago, but couldn't make due to... exhaustion? I can't remember. Holy moly, was that a fun band to see live. Then we stopped to see Diarreah Planet. Yes, that is their name. Yes, I know how ridiculous that sounds. Yes, we wanted to see them anyway because Titus Andronicus had covered one of their songs in Minneapolis last fall and it sounded great. And you know what? They might be one of my new favorite bands to see live. And here I am, a grown woman, telling people around Austin that they should really go and catch Diarrhea Planet. At least I didn't get the t-shirt, eh? But look at that photo up there! HOW FUN!Ok, for more photos from today (including some more amazing shots from the DP show), look here. Enjoy!