Friday, November 11, 2011

CMAs

The 45th Annual Country Music Awards were this week in Nashville. And I suppose this event was the kick-off to non-stop events until after the new year. This trip was a whirlwind for me and exhausting.  I'm sure it was even more so for Chris considering it was a "working" event for him.

Being that I am a very girlie girl, I love, love, love to put on a pretty dress, get my hair done and make-up done. And the best part is going out with my dear sweet husband. We have the best time together.  We can be in a room full of people and be completely lost in each other. Aware of their presence but totally absorbed in one another. It is the most wonderful feeling in the world.  But, I digress. 

We arrived at the venue, hung out a few minutes and then took our seats. I am a people watcher; therefore, it was very cool to stargaze. The ZBB didn't receive an award but no matter the boys performed and it was incredible as always. 

So, with my quick trip to Nashville behind me, I now look to planning, grocery shopping and cooking for Thanksgiving. 



Note: A very special "thank you" to the sweet friends who helped me shop for and choose the perfect dress.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Gatlinburg

Chris was off this weekend so we took this rare opportunity to take the girls for a family vacation. Our destination was Gatlinburg. None of us have been there in years. So, on Friday we embarked on our adventure to the mountains. 

Car trips are always the best. Several hours of quality time trapped together. Stories were told, music was listened to and snoring was done. Chris was driving so I only had to wake him up once! Seriously, we got in the car and almost immediately began talking about how happy we were that this would only be a 5 hour trip versus the 12 hour drive we took to Miami a couple of years ago. 

We arrived around midnight and went straight to bed. 

Saturday morning was beautiful. The sun was shining and the air was brisk. Perfect mountain weather. We walked to the Pancake Pantry for breakfast where we stood in line to get a table for 45 minutes. Crazy, I know. But we were on vacation and had no where to be at any particular time so why not wait. Those pancakes were tasty too!! 

Chris' cousin and her husband met us for breakfast and then we embarked on a drive through the mountains. The foliage was so colorful and the drive so peaceful. We did however stop for a while to visit the final resting place of Chris' dad. It was a bittersweet moment in our day but Chris was very much at peace and enjoyed his quiet moments there by the water's edge where we said our final goodbyes to Pop a little more than a year ago.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking in and out of shops and just hanging out. Saturday night the girls, Chris and I had tickets to the Dixie Stampede which is a dinner theatre owned by Dolly Parton.  To say it was so much fun would be an understatement.  Dinner at the Dixie Stampede is eaten with your hands "cowboy" style - no utensils while sitting in an arena watching a show all done on horseback. I am such a geek but this was one of the highlights of the trip. Chris had never been to Dixie Stampede. I think he had fun. 

Sunday morning was another beautiful one. Perfect weather. Chris and I decided that we wanted to have "Old Time" pictures made and really wanted the girls to participate but they would not. Apparently, it's not cool to be geeky and have fun! No matter. Chris and I did it by ourselves and had a blast! I think we are going to do this again but next time he's going to be a 40's gangster and I'm going to be a flapper.

We ended our trip with a bit more shopping and then on the road we went. As we got closer to Birmingham, I looked in the backseat. Ashley was sleeping and Allison was listening to her ipod. I turned back around and told Chris that trips like this were going to become non-existent before to long. The girls are almost grown and will have their own lives before we know it and excursions involving just the four of us will be no more.  For a brief moment I was saddened by this thought but quickly reflected on the wonderful weekend and had to smile.




Sunday, October 30, 2011

Biloxi



 Great weekend!! And I'm exhausted!! I took a quick trip to Biloxi to see my sweet boy and the ZBB. I always have the best time hanging out with Chris and getting to watch him play.  This trip was no different. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my husband?


 Got home this afternoon and headed to pick up a pumpkin to carve with Allison.  I think we did an ok job. The best part was baking the seeds for a tasty snack. I'm excited that tomorrow is Halloween!! A little sad that my girls are to old to wear cute little costumes and treat-or-treat but we will still have fun.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Air Travel and Music

Awesome weekend with my sweet boy in Charleston!! The Southern Ground Music and Food Festival was a blast!

The weekend got off to a rocky start. I was supposed to fly out on Friday afternoon, but about an hour and a half before my flight was to leave I received a phone call from the airline telling me that the flight had been cancelled due to mechanical issues. There were no other flights to Charleston on any airline Friday afternoon.....really!?! My first reaction was extreme irritation and then sadness because I was so excited to be going. However, in an effort to keep a positive attitude and find the silver lining, I realized that I would much rather a mechanical problem with the plane be discovered BEFORE I was on it and in the air.  Another positive was that I got to spend most of the evening with Allison and just relaxing. I was already packed and ready so there was nothing to do in that regard.

Saturday morning was an early one. I had to be up at 4 a.m. for a 6 a.m. flight.  Here is where I digress. Anyone who knows me knows that I like to sleep late.  Noon-thirty is my wake up time on a Saturday morning if I don't have anywhere to be or pressing errands to run. So for my eyes to be open at 4 a.m. takes extreme effort on my part. But I did it. I got to the airport and had completely forgotten that the terminal is under construction and renovation which translates into my parking in the most inconvenient spot available and having to walk forever to get into the terminal. At this point, I'm audibly telling myself "happy thoughts, happy thoughts." Anyway, made it onto my flight and started my adventure (as if I had not already experienced one).

The weather could not have been more perfect in Charleston.  Sadly, I have yet to actually see the city. This was my second trip and because I was there to see my dear husband all I saw was the venue. No matter. I was there to be with him. Not sightsee. I have an ever growing list of cities to which I want to return and actually see but I want Chris to see them with me. I suppose when we retire we will have a really long list of places to visit! :)

To start off the day's events, I attended a Zamily event with Chris and it was so much fun. I had been Facebooking all week with fans whom I have never personally met and who were to be at the event. I finally got to meet, as well as see again those I had already met before, so many of the sweetest people and devoted fans. It thrills me to see how much they love the guys and their music. Saturday night's show was incredible as always. So much energy that I am exhausted after just watching them. I can only imagine how tired they must get.

Chris had family out to see the show this weekend and on Sunday we met his cousin and two of her friends for lunch. To say that we laughed for two hours would be an understatement. Lunch was a good time. The afternoon was filled with just hanging out. For Sunday night's show, I sat in one of the stageboxes. This was the first time I have seen a ZBB show from out front in 2 years. I can honestly say that I prefer watching the show from side stage. I think this is mostly due to the fact that I stand only a few feet away from Chris when he plays and we flirt with each other during the show! Yep, we flirt while he's playing. It's awesome!!

My weekend's adventure ended with a bus right home with my sweet boy. I always love it when I go out to see him play and he actually gets to come home with me. Monday morning sure did come early though. I have come to the conclusion that I am much to old to have so much fun over the weekend and then go to work on Monday morning. LOL!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

"Me" Time...

Chris has been on the road this weekend which means that I have had tons of "me" time.  I miss him terribly when he leaves; however, my weekend has been full of things to do. Shopping all day on Saturday with friends, keeping up with our girls' schedules, cooking and cleaning house. With the holidays right around the corner, I am feeling quite crafty. I spent most of this afternoon online finding so many fun things to make.  Some of these ideas will probably end up being Christmas gifts.  If so, I will take pictures and post after the new year.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Politically Correct? I don't think so.....

Brace yourself this blog is going to be extremely opinionated and quite possibly offensive.  Stop here and do not continue reading if you are easily inflamed by pointed and blunt dialog.  Now that I have gotten that disclaimer out of the way.... here goes. (1) I am sick and tired of American society (as a whole) sitting on its big fat butt waiting for a handout; (2) I am sick and tired of all the complaining about Alabama's immigration law; and (3) I am sick and tired of feeling like I am the only person on the planet with any common sense.  What happened to working hard for what we want and need? What happened to setting goals and mapping out plans to achieve those goals. What has happened to humanity?

(1) Government programs were established for temporary assistance NOT for generation after generation to work the system in order to never have to work. (2) America welcomes immigrants openly; however,  if you are planning to live here you must gain citizenship. Why is it that people don't think that same rules apply to America as the rest of the world? If I go to another country and stay to long I would be asked to make application for citizenship or to leave. That is not rude. It is the rules. In order for things to get better sometimes they have to get worse. So everyone who is whining and moaning about the Alabama immigration law please sit down and shut up!! It is what it is. I'm sick of listening to it. (3) I honestly try to not think about this stuff to much. When I do my blood pressure goes up and I ask "why am I not running the country? It's not like it's hard!" I realize this is a very simplistic approach to take but come on people use your brain. It is time to start over. Reform term limits, reform benefits and wages for politicians and reform the way in which taxes are paid. Do I know how to reach this end? Maybe, maybe not but I can say what is being done now is not working. 

If you chose to continue reading this blog even after my warning and you are now completely in disagreement with me and highly irritated or offended, I say this. The beauty of freedom is that we can agree to disagree. If you are really, really hacked off then get off your tail and make a difference. Stop being part of the problem and be part of the solution.

That is my rant for the day. I will try my best to be more light-hearted in the future. Unfortunately, this is what happens if I allow myself to watch the news. UGH!!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

The Civil Wars

WOW!!! That is the first word that comes to mind when trying to describe the experience I had seeing The Civil Wars live.  This was the second time Chris and I have seen Joy Williams and John Paul White a/k/a The Civil Wars and it was incredible. We first saw them at Workplay (a small venue here in Birmingham) and then last night at the Alabama Theatre. It was a sold out show and the locale was the perfect setting for this dynamic duo. Milo Greene was the opener. I really enjoyed them and would recommend taking a listen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUazz0gML00

If you have not checked out The Civil Wars you need too!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooTyuRd9zSg