I've been away for too long....

My last official post was in January of 2015... since then a lot of things have happened...  Here's a quick rundown - and I plan to do a bit more detail on all of these soon!

Greatest Hits REWIND!

Honorable Mentions I never blogged about: Weezer Show in ATL Dec. 2014 and Pearl Jam in Memphis 2014. Sad I didn't write more about these - I may need to do a concert recap!

APRIL 2015
Took a trip to Denver, Colorado
I witnessed my first show at Red Rocks! [Disco Buscuits]
And one more show at the Filmore!  [The Replacements]
Hit up Record Store Day 2015 in Denver, Colorado and also scored some amazing tacos too!

Mike bought a new ride! His name is "Boom" and he's an awesome Jeep Renegade!

HAD A VERY BUSY JULY 2015
We did US Tour so to speak in July - ever single weekend we were going somewhere and doing something. We put a lot of miles on "BOOM" this month!

Celebrated July 4th, 2015 in Washington, DC with The Foo Fighters and a ton of great bands
AND celebrated FF's 20th Anniversary!

Spent the following weekend in Atlanta with Mike and went to see Anthony Bourdain speak!

Went to the first ever Sloss Fest in Birmingham, AL

Enjoyed a family beach trip to Orange Beach, AL.

AUGUST 2015
I survived my first Whole30 and did 4 more after that!

SEPTEMBER 2015
Started to work out again, take up running and purchased a bike all in the matter of months and stuck with the life style through 2016 and well into 2017.

NOVEMBER 2015
As a family effort we took over Thanksgiving in 2015. Helping out Michael's mom.
We ruled at making Turkey, and a ton of the other sides and were asked to bake the turkey again in 2016. It's amazing what some sibling team work and vodka can accomplish!

New Tattoos - for myself and Mike, and his brothers and father.

Discovered Pre-workout and a love for Rosé.
Not at the same time mind you, or mixed together... just a general statement.

DECEMBER 2015
Celebrated Christmas at our home, having Mike's family over for a change of pace after a long fall (see below).

FEBRUARY 2016
Headed home to Maryland for a weekend to have a late Christmas with my father and friends. Experience a great afternoon in Downtown Frederick for their Fire and Ice Festival! Ice Sculptures and shots for all!

Enjoyed a Chili Contest at our favorite Local Brewery [Singin' River Brewery] - Mike was able to judge. Our favorite didn't win, but they should have!

MARCH 2016
Enjoyed a few weekends of day drankin' on patios downtown and just l-i-v-i-n'!
The weather was so warm we actually took our first kayak trip at the end of March!

APRIL 2016
Enjoyed the final day of our favorite local vinyl store Pegasus Records and Records Store Day all in one. We went all out - spent way too much money, got misty eyed, listened to live bands and got some great items from our friends and favorite music store the Shoals ever had.

Fully ENJOYED JAZZFEST 2016 - Full recap to come. This was an extremely special Pearl Jam concert!

JUNE 2015
Our Town held it's first ever Pride Fest - we were there!

Traveled to Denver, CO again in 2016. We travel to visit my Sister-in-Law and her family.
Hiked a mountain, ate great tacos, went to Red Rocks again! [Jason Isbell + the 400 Unit]

OCTOBER 2016
Hit up the Alabama Vs. Texas A&M 2016 game! ROLL TIDE!
We also celebrated our wedding anniversary that day as well!

Had a fun trip to our favorite part of ATL to meet up with my Bestie from back home!

NOVEMBER 2016
Watched and Election unfold in the way I never thought imaginable.
Let's NOT discuss here, m'kay?

Witnessed quite a few great live shows here at home!
John Paul White • Secret Sisters • The Pollies • Red Mouth • Willodeans • St. Paul and the Broken Bones • Space Tyger • Belle Adair (just to name a few).

DECEMBER 2016
I TURNED 40!!! Holy shit! Michael threw me an epic surprise Birthday party!!!

My office acquired a "work cat" - she showed up at our door cold, and starving and he's been with us every since. He was amply named "Buddy" after Buddy the Elf.

Celebrated Christmas 2016 in Maryland with my dad and Friends!

MARCH 2017
Finally watched Big Little Lies and was instantly hooked!
I'm also obsessed with the soundtrack on Spotify (Thanks Hutch!)

And watched a ton of other shows: Newest notes: Riverdale, iZombie and 13 Reasons Why.
I loved them all - I'm a bit more addicted to television than I'd like to admit.

Didn't celebrate St. Patrick's Day like we had hoped...

APRIL 2017
Discovered a love for puzzles.

MAY 2017
Witnessed Soundgarden for the first, and sadly last time in my life.
Losing Chris Cornell in the music world is a bit unreal to me.

Celebrated a 2nd, successful year of the John Oubre for Antiqua Charity Golf Tournament.
It's hard work, but worth it to raise money for a cause he was passionate about.

My father moved from Maryland here to Alabama to be closer to me and Michael. I think he's enjoying it so far!

JUNE 2016
Discovered Wine in a Can = Life is Good!

And the Hardest Struggles: REWIND!

AUGUST 2015:
Dealt with the biggest loss I've felt since losing my mother, in losing Mike's younger brother John Oubre. The family will never be 100%, he was too important to all of us. We are all still taking this day by day, even though the event happened in 2015. Sometimes you just can't fix a hole in your heart, especially when someone left such a large tear when they left. I've been struggling with a post to honor him for almost two years now. I'm almost there, and hope to share, soon.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017:
Also dealt with the joy of discovering I was pregnant this past February. After a little over a year of trying. That excitement was shortly followed by the loss of this joy, due to an ectopic pregnancy and emergency surgery. I have a lot to say about this journey as well, but I will have to complete my post.

------

These past few years have been filled with ups and downs. Most of which I do want to write a detailed post about, so please be patient.

If you're still here after my long hiatus, thanks for sticking around, it's nice to have you back, and to be back!

Music Festival Checklist.

"Better to have that, and not need it, than need it and not have it." - Woodrow F. Call

"Be Prepared" - Scouts Motto

"Better safe, than sorry." - Mom

The best advice in life comes from many places, well I'm about to give you some real world, sage advice about the most important things to bring with you and remember at an outdoor music festival.

via turnedup2eleven

BACK-PACK / BAG + STUFF THAT GOES INSIDE!

Always check the rules and regulations on the festival's website. Some will allow you to carry regular back-packs or bags of a certain size. Some of the newest security regulations have required us to carry clear plastic bags, where all contents can be easily viewed by concert goers AND staff at the security checks. The bags come in all sizes. This is a bit annoying, but at the same time safety is a huge concern in places with this many people so please save yourself some time, read the rules and respect the requests of the venue and concert promoters. Other venues will only allow you to carry a purse, approximately the size of your palm, if it's not a see through material. All items are subject to search - just comply with security, and you'll get through the line much, much faster!

In this bag you'll want to keep some very important items:

SPF / CHAPSTICK / LIP BALM / GLOSS
Sunburns suck, and skin cancer is even worse. Protect yourself. I apply my sunblock before leaving my hotel, and then take a smaller bottle for reapplication as needed. Most venues will not allow aerosol cans, so again, read the rules. Same goes for your lips! I always carry a spare SPF Lip Balm and a gloss.

Tickets
Store these somewhere safe in your bag they are often needed for re-entry, if you are able to leave the festival and come back. If we plan enough ahead Mike and I always laminate our tickets, especially if we need them for two days. Thankfully some music festivals give you a wrist band, if you don't luck out and get a band, please keep your tickets safe, or keep a back up at the hotel.

Band-aids / Blister Block
I can tell you from experience that even in the best worn in shoes, sometimes blisters happen. They are never comfortable but Blister block and band-aids truly help!

Bandana
Great for fashion AND function. These come in very handy when a festival is held during the dry season or in a parking lot (thinking back to Warped Tour circa... 2002ish? my teeth were caked in dust and eventually became mud, thanks to my silva - yeah it's gross, so do us all a favor and save your lungs and your grill and wear a bandana around your face as needed.

Protection from the Sun - I don't know about you but my forehead is always the first part of my face to show sunburn - I have been saved from a wicked burn a time or two by wrapping the bandana around the effected part of my scalp. You can also wet the bandana and use it as a cool cloth as well at a super hot festival.

They also come in handy when it rains - but a word of advice, if you want to wear one in the rain, make sure you wash it before the festival. In a moment of desperation Mike (my husband for any new readers) and I grabbed some at the Music Midtown fest a few years ago, during a down pour, they were great to keep our hair back from the falling rain, until the red dye bled all over Mike's favorite shirt. Not to mention bandanas are way more comfortable, and soft after a good wash!

Poncho
Weather permitting it may be needed in an instant and who wants to pay the over priced fee that concert places charge for these items. Hit up the camping section at Target and snag one for $4.00 or less, vs. the $7-10 at most venues).

They are also a great way to not only keep YOURSELF dry, but all your gear - covering your backpack will ensure that your bag and items stay dry, AND your merch doesn't get ruined after purchasing it.  We survived the downpour on July 4th, 2015 watching The Foo Fighters 20th Anniversary concert thanks to our ponchos, we might have had a ton of rain fall on us, but our posters and tshirts stayed super dry! My mascara on the other hand was a mess.

Foo Fighters July 4th • 20th Anniversary 2015 • via jamofpearls

Foo Fighters July 4th • DC • 2015 • Worth the rain to catch this show! • via turnedup2eleven

Hat
You can be stylish or functional with these - either way - protect your eyes, and face from harsh rays with a hat! Bonus if it rains and you have a ball cap it will keep the rain out of your eyes so you can focus on your favorite lead guitarist, or drummer. Which ever.

Sunglasses
BRIGHT RAYS equal tired and even often sunburned eyes. Protect your peepers people!

Sloss Fest 2015 via jamofpearls

Small Wallet
Dudes have it easy - they can usually hide a wallet in one of their many pockets. Especially in cargo shorts. Women we have to get a bit more creative. I usually tend to take a smaller wallet, and only carry vital items, ID - Credit Card - Cash - Insurance Cards (Guys, I'm 40, not an animal, I care about my health and well being). That being said - finding a small, secure wallet can be hard. I was lucky enough to find one that had a small strap. I like to put my wallet in my front pocket at shows. The wallet I have is tiny, it fits in the front of most of my shorts pockets - and I tend to loop the strap on my first belt loop then slip the wallet in my shorts pocket. This will keep the wallet secure, and when I head to the port-a-johns also keeps the wallet from falling on the ground in that nasty environment. I can't tell you the number of times I have had that wallet fall out as I hovered, thankfully the strap keeps it attached to me. Most festivals will say NO CHAINS for wallets, this is a small strap, much like some of the cute clutches women carry these days. Another great option I found here. I am ordering this immediately! Sure your boobs will sweat but you will always know where your money, and important items are!

Small Wallet II - Electric Boogaloo
Not saying your pocket WILL get picked, but I'm saying it might. Having your wallet in a safe place - front pocket, hidden part of your backpack (way deep), or even your bra is best. Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Be safe... Better safe than sorry my momma always said!

Hand Wipes
Remember those port-a-johns I mentioned a moment ago, yeah, the germ pools! Some festivals you go to have hand washing stations or at least some anti-bac hanging up inside. I by pass those lines and just carry some wipes in my bag. I also frankly like the idea of wiping OFF the germs and dirt vs. just rubbing it in with alcohol.

Water Jug
Most festivals will allow you to bring in 1, factory sealed 12 oz. water bottle with water in it, others will request that you bring an empty bottle of your own. This a MUST in my book. I don't care how much you would rather have vodka or beer, STAYING HYDRATED is a must in hot weather months. I mean, I can't tell you the number of times it's been around 8 pm at a fest and I've seen men and women face down in their own muck, and their friends are pissed. Don't be the person your friends have to babysit and the one other concert goers laugh at and often post on instagram with a funny hashtag. Trade off. One drink, one water the entire day. You'll be way happier you dropped a ton of money to see your favorite band if you actually REMEMBER it.  If you aren't having to go to the bathroom a lot - it's great if you're up front waiting to see a band but honestly, it also means you're dehydrated... you might want to drink some water, rather than pass out during your favorite band's set.

Gum
Outside food and beverages are usually prohibited. Unless you're at Red Rocks which is strange but nice. I always carry some gum to help freshen my breath and often times handle the dust issue (refer to the bandana section). I mean, after a few IPA's, then sweating and being thirsty no one has fresh breath kids.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit • Red Rocks, CO 2016 • via turnedup2eleven

Camera
Please again, see guidelines for cameras and recording equipment it would suck to get yours confiscated or be told you have to take the item all. the. way. back. to. your. car!  It's great to catch your favorite band live, and you want to document it. Cameras on phones have come a long way, I suggest using that. And I also suggest taking maybe 2-4 photos, but don't spend the entire time looking through your phone and missing everything happening around you! ENJOY the moment, not just the memories.

Pearl Jam • Music Midtown • ATL, GA • 2014 • via jamofpearls

Long Sleeve Shirt / Jacket
Depending on how hot it is, you may not need either of these but I have always found it helpful to have a light weight long sleeve shirt or button up shirt in my bag for an all day music fest. Once the sun goes down, if you've had too much sun it can help keep you warm. And in turn also protect you if you do get burt before the sun sets.  It is also helpful when and if you are caught in a down pour to have a warm, dry shirt in your bag to make you feel better.

Sloss Fest 2015 • via jamofpearls

Portable Phone Charger
Most festivals have charging stations, but why chance it? If you know having a full battery on your phone is important to you - do this. Mike and I usually travel together and stick together, so we have one or the other to use, but if you plan to distance yourself from your crew at any time, please try to have a full phone charge to get back with them. *** Keep in mind often times in a busy festival setting, text messages might not send as well, and there is rarely wifi available. (See below for my note about Meeting Places).

Your Phone
This is an obvious thing to bring, but I always suggest to bring it and download the festival APP if available. Not only will you be able to check the schedule, but also have access to a map. Some apps allow you to create your own schedule alerting you to when your next chosen band is ready to hit the stage and where.

Festival Map
If you're a bit more old school and would rather conserve your phone battery for important stuff like photos and videos - I would suggest checking at the information tent at the festival and getting yourself a printed out map, or brochure. Most festivals, like Sloss Fest will have people handing out maps as you walk in the gates. This might seem like trash to some of you but it's helpful to get a lay of the land before you commit to where you want to stand for the day. Important things to note are restrooms, hydration stations, merch tents as well as vendors for food and drinks! Most of these will be available to view on your phone, but I like having a larger version, that's easier to read, and let's me keep my phone in a safe place most of the time so I don't drop, or lose it. Or chance digging in my bag and leaving pockets open accidentally (see also be safe and wise about your belongings).

Plastic Bag
It's helpful to have a plastic bag in your bag - sometimes you'll get one at the merch tent, others you won't. It's great to have them to protect your new shirts or items you buy, or simply cover items you want to KEEP dry, like your phone, or a shirt for later.  Music festivals that get hot are notorious for spraying fans with water, you don't want that bit of water to ruin your phone or other items.

Ear Plugs
Heading up to the front of the line? Want to be close to the action? Great, you'll also be close to the speakers blasting loud enough to get to the folks in the back. Prolonged exposure to this type of noise can cause serious hearing damage. Trust me, if my husband and I can go almost deaf for almost 24 hours after being front row a friend's show in a local bar, AND an AC/DC concert in an indoor venue FAR from the stage, you can totally do damage up front at a show outdoors! Just get some cheap ear plugs, no one will judge, everyone is beginning to wear them, including all our rock and hip hop idols!

Mini First Aid Kit
Along with the band aids mentioned above, you may want to carry a small First Aid kit with items like ibuprofen, or your choice of headache cures. If you have allergies or any other medication you need to remember to take, I would suggest to take it before you leave for the show, but sometimes you have to take these things at certain times. It's nice to have a small bag in your pack to tend to these needs a head of time.  Another option might be eye drops. I wear contacts and my eyes tend to get really dry and irritated during a dusty, or allergy ridden time of year. I carry drops to help with this. Maybe toss the Gum in this pack as well. Ladies it's nice to also have some type of a bag to carry your "firecrackers" if ole Aunt Flow rears her ugly head on the weekend of your festival as well - and the hand wipe will help with this issue as well!

MEETING PLACE

As I stated, cell phones are often rendered useless at music festivals. Not only is LOUD and hard to hear, text messages tend to send really slow, and batteries die.  It's always great to have a "meeting place" in case you get lost, or can't find your crew after running to get a drink. Mike and I always have one, in case we get separated. Find a good landmark upon entering and tell your crew to meet there after the show ends - especially if you are the driver it's your responsibility to get there and make sure ALL your friends are ready to roll before leaving, yes even Sally, she's been drunk all day but you have to be sure she gets home safely - even if that hoe was talking to the guy you were interested in all day!

TOTEMS

via turnedup2eleven

I hate that most music festivals are starting to crack down on these items. Huge signs, or long tall poles with flags, although a bit annoying if they are up front waving in front of your view, they are VERY helpful in keeping crews together during a busy show.  I can't tell you the number of times we were able to find friends of ours just by following their floating Husky head of their beloved dog Russo [pictured above].  Check with the concert rules, if they are allowed, I say go big or go home! It's so much easier to find your friends when you know what flag they are hanging under!

My only note of consideration is this - during the show if are up front and center and NOT waiting for a friend to get back up to meet you - maybe keep the waving down to a minimum for the folks in the back. Everyone is there to enjoy the show!

FASHION

Basically be smart, but let your freak flag fly!
BOHO, ROBO, DON'T KNOW? Follow your instincts, be comfortable but enjoy getting dressed. If you like comfort go for the old school t-shirt and shorts. Want more flare, go ahead and wear the flower head crown, when else is that going to be socially acceptable, am I right? Some shows are during Halloween, others are in the dead of the summer, the bottom line is, you do you. Be comfortable and enjoy yourself!

Proper Shoes
I've seen this time and time again... a young woman walking like a baby deer for the first time. She's wobbling and having a really hard time getting around on the grass in her platform shoes. I envy her shoes but not her situation because girl, they cute, but you are having issues. And in turn I've seen dudes walking around with a broken flip flop, searching for his friends.

I can't stress enough to wear COMFORTABLE and PROTECTIVE shoes. If you are a guy or girl that likes to sit on the sidelines, or a nice blanket in the back then YES by all means wear those flip flops. If you want to be up front, or in a pit, you should probably opt for sneakers or boots or something with a closed toe. I've had my foot stepped on before and it's painful, especially if the person doing it was dancing or jumping to the beat of the music.  I usually opt for something like a slip on sneaker, or high top (Vans) or hiking type sandal like a (Teva) - or Keen - the closed toe in the Keen is great for times like this. They are a bit more expensive but hold up great over time. I've had mine for about 8 years now and other than fading in color, they integrity of the shoe is still intact. [Note: I had my last pair of slim strap Tevas for about only 2 years and they broke after Jazzfest last year - too much walking and dancing]. Basic sneakers, lace up boots, nothing too heavy. Remember you'll be walking... a lot. Sometimes more than you realized (again, Jazzfest 2016).

Jazz Fest 2016 • Pearl Jam • via turnedup2eleven

Make-up
To each his or her own on this part, but at a festival if it's going to be 100+ degrees, I tend to go light on the make-up and wear as much water proof, and sweat proof items as I can. Unless you are going to an Alice Cooper Show or heading to 'The Gathering' to see ICP, it's really not a great look to have make-up running down your face, unless that's the exact look you're going for. Or it's VoodooFest in New Orleans, but again, to each their own.

Recreational Drugs + Booze
Basically carry and use at your own risk. That goes for you trying to sneak in that flask too. I'm not here to harsh your buzz, man I'm just saying... I'd rather not get kicked out of a festival and miss my favorite band for something as silly as that. Did you know they make tampon flasks now? Insanity!

I tend to like to be as clear minded as possible at a show. Mike and I have a few drinks before hand, but it's minimal, compared to any given Friday night. I paid good money to see a band that I love, and I don't want my mind clouded and I certainly don't want a black out to ruin my chances of seeing something epic.  My point is, I would have been really, really sad if I was too drunk when I saw Soundgarden this year. I will never get to see them live again and I'm glad I can remember EVERY moment I had with Chris Cornell and the guys on stage.

Soundgarden 2017 • Tuscaloosa, AL • via turnedup2eleven

Did I miss anything? What would you add to the list?  Let me know!
It's FESTIVAL SEASON - LET'S ROCK!

Summer's here and the time is right for dancin' at the festivals.

That's right everyone... Summer is back in full force here in the south. My soul is happy but my sweat glands want to die. Seriously... how is it this hot.

That being said, in these hot Southern months there are only three things that can be done for me to personally tolerate this time of year.

1. Kayak

2. Drink cool beverages.

and

3. MUSIC FEST MY ASS OFF!

Mike and I are excited to be attending the SLOSSFEST this year. We went to the first ever SLOSSFEST in 2015 and LOVED IT!  It was hotter than hades that weekend, but the music, food, drinks and location were amazing. Located at the historic Sloss Furnace in Birmingham, AL, the industrial area and buildings are a great back-drop for a Music and Arts Festival such as this one. I think the only true complaint we had that year was the lack of water stations. This has since been resolved to my knowledge so we are looking forward to another amazing (and hydrated) year at the Sloss Furnace with just a few 1000 of our closest, not yet met, friends.

This year promises to be a great one! Check out the line-up! 

(PS Tickets are still available).

slossfest.com

We're really, really excited to finally be able to witness the wonder that is The Alabama Shakes! They have always been on our radar, but they are a crowd favorite here in the Iron State, and sometimes it's hard to snag tickets.

Our first year at Sloss we were able to catch St. Paul and the Broken Bones. Both bands are local Alabama favorites, and since that festival we've been able to witness St. Paul in a much more intimate setting, here locally in our home town! And it was amazing!  It's nice to see a band play ANY venue like they are at Madison Square Garden, and playing for royalty, even when it's just every day people like us.

This year seems to have a great mix of artists. One we have seen before, Sturgill Simpson (Sloss 2015), and even more we haven't and that we've been DYING to see live for a few years, such as the Alabama Shakes, as mentioned and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats!

I'm personally excited to witness Odesza and Run the Jewels and both Mike and I are curious about Widespread Panic - we have loads of friends that tell us great things!

This year promises to be a wet one, which I'm not sure if I'm ready to deal with, but, with a prepared back-pack and some clever dressing, I am pretty sure it should still be an exciting weekend in Birmingham, AL!!!

What is your favorite music festival to attend?

an evening with pearl jam... memphis, tn

The date was October 14, 2015, yes, just last Tuesday, one week ago, and I'm still slightly floating from the experience. My husband, Mike has ALWAYS been a huge Pearl Jam fan. I will admit, I too have always been a fan, although somewhere in the mid 2000's I sort of lost my way not listening to them as much as I did in the beginning, shame on me, not for lack of liking, just not following as closely as I should have. I lost a lot of valuable time with the band and I admit it was a complete mistake.

For many years, Mike was an on again and off again Ten Club member (fan club for those of you wondering what that is). After the release of Pearl Jam's latest album, Lightening Bolt, they announced they would be going on tour. Their first show was revealed that they would headline Austin City Limits. Mike and I have always wanted to go to Austin together (he's been once many years ago for his sister's wedding), and add to that PJ in concert, YES PLEASE! We held off purchasing tickets, we were still waiting to hear the line up for the Music Midtown Festival in Atlanta this past summer, the concert promoters were very late this year with their announcements, so we nixed plans to hit up Austin, hoping, praying that PJ would come somewhere close to us for a show. The wait was painful, I was anxious, and in the end the line up for Music Midtown, totally sucked this year. I kicked myself for not securing ACL tickets, and for not trying to purchase tickets to the 10.22 show in Colorado, more on that in a bit.

Mike and I waited and then the tour dates were released and the angels of rock sang, and said "Memphis, TN had a date, a special date just for the two of you!" Ok they didn't really sing that but that's what I heard. As a Ten Club member Mike was also able to enter a lottery for tickets. He entered us into both categories, seats (2 tickets) or General Admission Pit (2 tickets). And we waited as patiently as possible for the results to come in. Either way we would win out - a chance to have decent seats, or standing room only to see Pearl Jam live, I'd happily take either option. I was so ready for another show, it's been 2 years since my FIRST and only PJ concert, this would mark I believe Mike's 5th or 6th. I have no desire to stop seeing them live, I hope he doesn't either. I could go a million more times and still be floored.  After what seemed liked forever, the lottery results were in, and HOLY EFFING HELL - we got General Admission PIT tickets. Even after the show I'm still in shock... this was our first lottery, we got PIT, and I was blown away!!!

And then we waited for the show date... the waiting drove me mad.

Mike and I will be celebrating our 3rd Wedding Anniversary this month, and this concert was our way to celebrate, and our gift to each other. Much like our first anniversary, tickets were purchased with our anniversary in mind. So finally October 14th arrived, and we were headed to Memphis.

That morning we both worked a partial day and hit the road. We arrived in Memphis, to the Fed Ex Forum at about 2 PM I believe? Time is sort of a blur at that point. Immediately we saw the merch trailer, and a MASSIVE line that wrapped half way around the building. We quickly rushed to claim our spot in the line. It was a cold and semi wet day out, but I didn't care. I had a jacket, and determination to get the merch I wanted. Can I just say I think it's genius and awesome that we could purchase our shirts, posters, stickers etc BEFORE the show started. Allowing us to put them safely in the car, and not have them get ruined during the show. Downside to this, I stood in line for over an hour waiting to get a shirt. This did give us time to do a few things... Mike checked into our hotel, and was able to wait to get our wristbands for the pit at will call, and then have time to come meet me, to get his shirt, and poster, and stickers, and my tank and my scarf. Yep, I got a Pearl Jam scarf and it's awesomeee!

via • turnedup2eleven

After securing our loot - the poster was the BIGGEST score, and what we wanted the most, we met up with a friend from back home "What up Phil!" and Mike's Aunt and Uncle who flew in for a visit from Cali, and honestly, go to go the show, their first, for the record.  We dropped our items off at the car and hit Beale Street for some beers and FINALLY food. My biggest worry with being in the pit was that I was going to have to wait in line ALL. DAMN. DAY, and possibly NOT get to eat. I had original plans to meet up with Misty of Handbags and Handguns and Natalie of My Crazy Busy Life, I still hate we couldn't work that out but unfortunately, I had to head home the next AM right after waking up for work - I promise girls, next time!!! [Yes, I went to bed at 2 am in Memphis, and was back to work in Northern Alabama by lunch time the next day - and yes, I am aware that I'm crazy].

FIRST BREW STOP:

We hit up a little bar on the corner for some local craft beer, and then wandered over to Dyer's for what I thought would be a simple cheeseburger, and it ended up being the best damned greasy burger ever. If you are in the mood for a good old fashion, slider style burger, a bit like Five Guys but WAY less commercial, way more delicious and with a sweet set of servers, hit up Dyer's next time you're there. We loved it, and almost had it again for dinner (more on that later). FYI - I was so hungry taking a photo wasn't happening, sorry!

After filling our guts, and having a beer or two, we decided it was time to get in the General Admission line. It had been forming all day long, but honestly, the weather was crap, we got in line and probably waited another 45 mins before getting to go inside. Longest day of waiting ever.

Once inside, we were instructed to take our time, not to run, and be orderly. So we did... as we walked through our gate doors to the pit, I got really anxious, then I saw how small the pit was. Not tiny mind you, but in relation to the rest of the room, fairly quaint, small, cozy, and thankfully not a ton of people had made it down to the pit, so Mike and scurried down and got ourselves a nice little spot, on the right hand side of the stage where soon Stone would stand to play. While waiting for the show to start (another hour), we made friends with our surrounding Ten Club pals and settled in for a great night.

There was no opening act, literally just an evening with Pearl Jam which was better than I could have asked for. Standing by the stage we realized, we were indeed, only three rows back from the security barrier in front of the stage. Literally, third row. HOLY FREAKING AWESOME! Now, our trade off for this awesomeness is that I had to deal with a drunk, older woman, doing her "sexy" dance for Eddie any time he came to our side of the stage. I get that there is ONE person in every crowd that pisses the masses off, but why the hell do they alway have to end up next to me?!?! She had wormed her way up front, through all of us that were waiting there a FULL hour for the show to start, right before it was time for the show to begin. My first instinct was to tell her off, but I noticed that others were annoyed but trying to be cool about the situation. I watched a few dirty looks in which she was oblivious too, and finally a couple in front of me, the man looked her dead in the eye as she tried to push to be 2nd row from the stage and pretty much told her "fat chance, move back!" Whew, I really thought no one would say anything. We had just been told by two girls from Pittsburg about 20 minutes prior that everyone in the pit is respectful, and cool and then THIS happens and my inner ghetto fab wanna be gangsta alter ego just about lost it... I might also note I had PMS really bad so it could have been REALLY ugly. Thank you PJ for making me realize I'd rather not be kicked out before the show even started, and thank you to my husband who helped me navigate dealing with her ALL. NIGHT. LONG! Tolerating her was a chore but eventually I was able to worm my way away from her, put my back to her and enjoy the show with Mike, and the rest of our new found crew. Minus the super tall Tennessee Fan [who was a rather cool guy, just too tall] in front of me who I had to duck and weave a bit to avoid having my view of the guys blocked it was perfect.

SET LIST • MEMPHIS, TN

OCTOBER 14, 2014 • PJ FALL 2014 TOUR

via pearl jam's instagram

Pendulum 

Wash 

Low Light 

Why Go 

All Night 

Mind Your Manners 

Even Flow 

Lightning Bolt 

Sirens 

1/2 Full 

Garden 

Alone 

Wishlist 

Given to Fly 

Let the Records Play 

Spin the Black Circle 

Black 

Rearviewmirror 

Encore: 

Nothing as It Seems 

Come Back 

Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town 

Do the Evolution 

Breath 

Porch 

Encore 2: 

Once Crazy Mary (Victoria Williams cover) 

Better Man 

Alive 

Rockin' in the Free World (Neil Young cover) 

Yellow Ledbetter

29 Songs... 29 SONGS! From all different walks of their 20+ Year career. Some rarely performed and all of which blew me away!!! [Photos in NO particular order, and these were all taken by Mike (his instagram)

 This was most likely at the end of the night - one of the encores!

 Eddie preparing to share wine with the masses, or at least the front row!

 Jeff & Stone rocking out.

Like I said, no particular order, this was early in the evening, lights were still low, 

and little to none of the "set" was revealed at this time.

Huge highlights: 

Eddie took time to walk all over the stage, and jumped into the crowd (sadly not on our side, I think he sensed all the women in the pit surrounding us might not be able to hold him up and might in fact, rip him to shreds... lovingly of course).

Lots of guitar picks were tossed by Mike, and 10 tambourines by Eddie.

Fans brought gifts for the guys, which they accepted, some put on t-shirts, others handed up items for Eddie to sign which he did gladly and handed back to the crowd, it was awesome, the love for the fans is HUGELY evident in all they do.

Eddie donned Elvis like shades (circa his Vegas like days), and then tossed them back into the crowd, as well as a hat and oddly enough someone handed up (tossed up) their cell phone, Eddie then proceeded to take a video of him singing, and all of us in the pit singing and then handed it back to security to give to the kid. How cool is that???

Eddie pass around a bottle of wine to the front row and sadly I didn't have a cup and it was almost gone by the time it made it to our side of the stage, but it's one of his trademark things he does at each show. And very cool.

I was excited to hear lots of their new songs live which they performed seamlessly, even though Eddie was under the weather and feeling sick, he had more energy than anyone in his same shoes. I never thought I'd see EV blow his nose, but stars, they're just like us right?

BIGGEST KICK!
I believe it was after they did the cover of Neil Young's Rockin' in the Free World and the lights were up to see the entire stadium of people, that Mike shared a moment with Eddie.  Ed was scanning the crowd, waving to folks, giving thumbs up to others, smiling and taking in everyone in the room, and I mean EVERYONE he could see high or low, and he paused, he made a face like he had a question in his mind in my direction, but I could tell he wasn't looking straight at me, as he kept singing he pointed, gave a nod like, yeah!, and then gave a thumbs up... I was like who is he looking at? I turned around and Mike yelled "Did you see that?" and I said "Yeah, what was he doing?" Mike beamed... "He was looking at me, and gave me a thumbs up for my Mudhoney shirt. UM, HOW FREAKING AMAZING IS THAT??? In the 20+ years that Mike has loved this band, he goes to this show and gets a nod of encouragement AND a thumbs up from none other than Eddie Vedder! They shared, a moment. Ugh, so cool!

Seeing Jeff Ament smile, up close. I die.
The man in front of us that mentioned had stood up to the drunk chick (I wish I could describe all she was doing that drove me bonkers but it would take up TOO much space), he had a t-shirt that he was holding up at the end of the night, politely, below his field of vision and all of ours (drunk chick, not so much, she hit us all in the face at least once with her damn shirt... no clue what it said). This dude's shirt was a Luv Co. shirt - which Mike discovered later, was a cover band that Jeff and Mike were in back in the day. Jeff saw the shirt, and pointed to the guy smiling that he liked it, and the guy gave it to him. Jeff quickly put said shirt on and played the rest of the set wearing the Luv Co. shirt. After the final song, Jeff carried over the handwritten set list (by Eddie) and gave it to this guy. SUCH an amazing thing to receive. I might not have anything physical but I have these memories that will last me a lifetime.

After the show, we went into a few places on Beale to get some liquid refreshment, as well as something to eat again... it was now almost midnight, most places weren't serving... so we hit up the Blues City Cafe. I wanted diner food, sadly they didn't have burgers etc, but they did have MASSIVE cheese fries. I settled for regular steak fries smothered in cheese and jalapeños, Mike, Phil, and Tony opted for the Cajun fries... yes you guess it, same as mine but smothered in Gumbo! HOLY HELL, it was spicy but awesome! Warning, this place is a "dive bar" of sorts, but it's a delicious one!

The perfect end to a great day... cheese and fries... YES PLEASE!

After I ate, my eyes were heavy, my throat was sore, and my legs were tired from jumping, and standing and line, I was ready for bed. My brain was still buzzing from the show, but I knew work was calling the next day.

I enjoyed EVERYTHING about the Memphis show, and while I'm a bit jealous of all the Ten Club fans that have been literally following the band from town to town, seeing every show on this tour (how cool is that?), and I'm a bit envious they got to hear them play Yield in it's entirety last night, and a few nights prior all of their album No Code, I am so thankful we secured the place we did on the floor, had the opportunity to be that close, and celebrate our 3rd year of marriage like this. I wouldn't want it any other way!!!  We had even considered flying to Colorado when they FIRST mentioned the tour, because 10.22.14 is the Denver show. That is our anniversary, and I know I've mentioned it before, but it's also Pearl Jam's official anniversary of their first show, as a band. How amazing would that have been. Expensive, but amazing. To all fans that make that show, I am envious, but I will take Memphis with me forever.

Pearl Jam, thank you for all the memories! Thank you for returning to the south for shows and happy anniversary!!! Let's make it another 20+ years!

Turned Up To Eleven: The Pixies

This past weekend was a bit of a whirlwind.  Friday night we hit up our favorite little pizza place in town (Shout out to The Pie Factory). Originally we said "We need to conserve money, and we probably shouldn't go to happy hour." That lasted all of three days into a long, ass, week! Sometimes you just have a week that nothing but a few slices of pizza, craft beer and great conversations with friends and bartenders can cure.

We had some sips and then went to hang with one of our dear friends AK. Enjoyed some brews, and conversation. We brought along some vinyl to listen to. I almost feel like my parents probably did back in the day - carrying my bulky records to someone's house to listen to. Then again - I can remember bringing an even more bulky catalog of CDs to a friends house for a party, and then fearing I wouldn't get certain ones back.

Saturday was a laid back night - we knew we were going to Nashville on Sunday so we stayed in, cooked some dinner and watched Bad Grandpa, and laughed our asses off! I adore Johnny Knoxville and this movie was awesome! If you watch it, my favorite part was probably the strip club. Hilarious!

Sunday / Funday!

Sunday mid afternoon we headed to Nashville. Mike purchased Pixies tickets for me as a Christmas gift. I was SO SO excited.

We arrived in town and went directly to Mike's favorite joint, The Broadway Brewhouse & Mojo's Grill in West End. It's a staple in Nashville. Don't get confused and go to the one on Broadway downtown, I mean you can, but you'll miss out on some awesome Mexican / Cajun combos that are only available at the West End location. Namely Mike's favorite, the Cajun Burrito. He's never gotten anything different at this place in the almost 10 years I've known him. Why mess with a good thing right?  We also scored 2 for 1 drinks as well. I went with a tame Big Daddy Quesadilla. I didn't want to eat anything heavy, but I wanted to be full enough to be satisfied the whole day. Mission accomplished. I was happy, and satisfied for the rest of the day.

The forecast was absolute crap. Rain, rain and MORE RAIN. So we didn't get to really HANG downtown. Instead we hit up Grimey's to browse the vinyl. I really LOVE this store. (No disrespect to Pegasus Records here locally, we love you too!!) Mike scored a White Stripes record he wanted and The Strokes vinyl as well. I was so floored when he found RH*CP's Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik - it's sort of been my White Whale for a while now. If you asked me what my top 5 all time favorite albums are, that is definitely a BIG one. I was SO excited. I also scored a Record Store day release of some Public Enemy tunes on a picture disc. It was a toss up between that, and B-52's Cosmic Thing. Something I've wanted for some time but in the interest of being a bit conservative early in the day with my money I went with PE, since it was a bit more rare. I hope I will be able to get my hands on Cosmic Thing again soon.

With the weather STILL being shit, we opted to head out to Opry Mills for some window shopping. We hadn't been to the outlet center since the huge flooding that happened a while back. It's not as large as I remember it being the last time we were there but I bet I was WAY more tired the last time. We burned just enough time there to head back downtown to find parking before the show and to snag a quick snack.

Note to all: Margaritaville is sort of annoying and not worth the price, at all. The beer selection is lame (read: Mostly Budweiser products or Jimmy Buffet approved), and anyone that charges $10.99 for frozen spinach dip warmed in a microwave and bagged chips should be kicked extremely hard in the nut sack or vag-sack. Just saying. Not impressed at all and we ONLY chose it because it was within a quick darts distance from the Ryman Auditorium AND our Jeep. It fit the bill I guess, we filled our stomachs, dried off, and avoided the rain.  (Had I know there would have been snacks and beer once the doors opened AT the Ryman, I never would have stepped food inside Margaritaville. Sorry JB, I love your music, but your food is lame!). And P.S. to our bartender, you're working at Margaritaville in Nashville, not in the movie Cocktail - the bar was empty, let's take it down a notch, MMM-kay?

The Pixies & The Cults • The Ryman • Nashville, TN

The Pixies // via

Doors opened at 6:30 pm - we got right in, ran upstairs and got our t-shirts and a limited print poster for the show. I'm always happy to score screen printed posters at shows I go to. Eventually Mike and I will need to do a gallery wall of these.

We were escorted to our seats and settled in... only to be slightly disappointed in the fact that while the tickets said "Obstructed view" and it wasn't a lie, there was an EFFING POLE right in Mike's line of vision. Thankfully once the show started he could move a bit to see while standing up. I think instead of just saying "Obstructed view" they should say - there will be a POLE in your face, are you sure you want to click and pick THESE seats. Note to all, and to self: Next time we'll know NOT to sit in rows T or U (if you're in row T you will need to straddle said pole if you're in seat #2 - heads up!)

I was so excited - the Ryman is a very old building, famous for being the original home of the Grand Ole Opry. All the seats are literally church benches (pews). Not the most comfortable but very, very cool. Our view was a bit obstructed but our spirits weren't ruined by this at all.

The opening act was AMAZING! I'm sort of kicking myself or not snagging their vinyl at Grimey's earlier in the day. They are the Cults. A band out of New York and I HIGHLY recommend checking them out. (Link above has a video). I am now obsessed with them and want to get their album. And also learn EVERYTHING I can about them. The lead singers voice is awesome. One moment she's deep, throaty and almost very spooky - the next song she's happy upbeat and wish you wore your best saddle shoes to dance to every song! I highly, highly recommend them to everyone!!!

Cults / via

During the opening act no one really stood up - but it was sort of nice to sit down and enjoy the music. The room is pretty small at the Ryman, the crowd was COMPLETELY into this band. I loved the intimate feel and the mellow vibe. You can sip your cold beverage and eat your snacks IN the auditorium which BLEW my mind.

After a short intermission to get the stage prepped the PIXIES took the stage and didn't slow down until it was over. They played for a full hour and a half, possibly longer. Thankfully the entire crowd stood up during their performance and swayed and bopped to the beat. Patrons up front were rocking out and it was perfect. I hate to say we left after their bow, and I'm not sure if they did an encore but I had heard all but one song I wanted to hear [They didn't play Gigantic]. They opened the show with Bone Machine and finished on a high note with Where is My Mind. Mixed in were many songs I remember from my youth and a few I wasn't familiar with. We only dipped out early because I felt like they might NOT come back onstage, we had a 2 hour drive home AND there was sleet in the forecast. We have to drive through the mountains in TN to get home, SOOO we wanted to be responsible.

You dream for years of seeing your favorite bands, and sometimes in my case you have to wait until you're old enough to drive yourself because your parents won't take you to these shows. I've been wanting to see The Pixies ever since I discovered them in the late 80's. Most of my friends back home didn't listen to them so I was sort of alone when it came to some music, and/or having people to go with to said shows.  Now at age 37, I can do what I want. I can see what shows I want, when I want and damn it I plan to see as many as I can before I'm old and gray and telling my kids, "No, I'm not talking you to see freaking [Insert One Direction's descendants here]!" Then I'll teach them what REAL music is, just like my parents did for me.

Where was I? Oh yeah, so I've waited YEARS to see this band and let me tell you - it was SOOO worth the wait. Frank Black sounded amazing - just as I hoped he would. They all enjoyed every second they were on stage. And even though Kim [original bassist] wasn't there - I will say their new Bassist Paz Lechantin was pretty damn amazing, and her voice - she sounds a lot like the original recordings so it was alright with me. Everyone was on point and every bit was absolutely enjoyable, even though I was too short to see over some dudes head in front of me for half the show, I could sway and catch of glimpse of each member at any given time.

I am so happy Mike did this for me. What a great Christmas Gift!!!  Even with the extremely long feeling 2 hour drive home, on a "school night" it was all worth it.  I can't wait to catch another show there, and possibly might try to get seats up in the balcony if possible, you know, to avoid the poles.

I honestly would go see them again and again if they come back this way. If they are in your area and you LOVE the Pixies it's certainly a show you don't want to miss.

I will say sorry for the lack of photos - during the show we were instructed not to use phones or cameras. That didn't stop people but I was trying to be respectable!!! Lets just say it was intimate and amazing!!!

I hope you all had a great weekend. I'm still recovering from lack of sleep Sunday night into Monday!

day trippin'

A few of my close friends from Maryland headed South this past weekend to vacation and enjoy the great state of Tennessee. My friend P has family in Knoxville, so they dropped off her mother to visit her Aunt and she and her hubby M headed to Nashville. I would be a total crap friend if I missed a chance to hang with them, when Nashville is only like 2 hours from my home. We made plans to meet up on Sunday for lunch and to go tooling around town.

Mike and I hit the road at about 10:00 am and headed toward Tennessee.  It's so funny to me that I can stay awake for most of a ride to Maryland, but the 2 hours it takes to Tennessee I always feel like I'm going to fall asleep (and/or do fall asleep). Mike is a trooper!

The weather this weekend was pretty great. Mid 70's, overcast with a bit of wind (it picked up a bit too much while we were downtown but still the weather right now was more mild/chilly than it was when we went in December to see The Who).

MIDTOWN / NASHVILLE
For years Mike has raved about Mojo's in Midtown. I've been there with him twice and can honestly say it's never disappointed. It's a great little local place, with a great patio, tons of brews on tap and the best mix of Cajun and Mexican inspired food. As someone who truly loves both of these type of cuisines, I highly recommend stopping by Brewhouse / Mojo's in Midtown if you are out that way. Not only were Mike and I excited to get our favorite food but the bartender let us know it was 2 for 1 on all draft beers - SCORE! He settled on an IPA, my friend P and split some Abita Purple Hazes and her hubby M got something the bartender recommended to him. No visit to Mojo's is complete without ordering the Cajun Burrito, that will be Mike's message to you.

via Mike's Instagram

Tell me that doesn't look amazing. It's literally a burrito filled with Cajun amazingness. Cajun sausage, chicken, beans, rice and even Crawfish Étouffée. (It's also topped with the étouffée). It's filling and amazing all in one. Don't let the paper plates fool you, it might seem "low rent" but it's anything but. Very casual atmosphere. While we dined and caught up with our old friends the bar filled with Sunday afternoon patrons. Some were chatting and eating others were throwing darts and drinking the 2 for 1 special on beers. The weather was perfect. And trust me, if Cajun/Mexican isn't your taste, there are about 6 different patio bars right there together in Midtown to choose from. I truly can't wait to go back and try them - I'm hoping sometime soon Mike and I can take an overnight trip and just hop from patio to patio!

While in Midtown, and the West End we hit up Grimey's Record Store in search of vinyl. Mike wasn't going to make a trip to Nashville without hitting up at least once store. We've been on a mission lately to expand our record collection. M and P were perfectly happy to tag along and see more of the city than just a tourist would see. Mike hit his own personal mother load at Grimey's. Finding two Mudhoney records and finally getting a hold of Pearl Jam's Backspacer on Vinyl.  I was in search of some Red Hot Chili Peppers, but their selection was small for RHCP, instead Mike pointed out a Pixies section and I was sold. I snagged "Surfer Rosa". Which actually just celebrated it's 25th year since being released. Wow, typing that just made me feel really old. I would love to post a picture for you of the cover but it's a bit PG-13 (bewbies n' junk on the cover). M got himself 2 albums as well and decided he should take up vinyl collecting as a hobby. He settled on Nirvana's Unplugged (really wish I would have seen that first and snagged it) and a record that was recorded LIVE at the record store, by Metallica. Talk about a sweet souvenir! (See Mike's loot below)

Pearl Jam // Backspacer // via Mike's Instagram

Mudhoney // via Mike's Instagram

Mudhoney // via Mike's Instagram

I probably could have stayed in Grimey's all day. If we didn't have two friends in town that had never truly been there - I would have. I'm pretty sure Mike would have too. It was well organized, it smelled nice (you know how some old record stores smell stuffy? Sometimes that's a plus, others not so much). This place was really well organized and there was SO much to look at. We instead decided to haul our cookies downtown to walk them around.

Once we parked downtown the wind picked up, but I was semi thankful, nothing spoils sight seeing more than sweat, and let's just say, I'm not quite a lady when it comes to getting overheated. I sweat like a man. So the breeze, was a blessing.

We walked up and down Broadway and down to the river. Mike and I have never walked that far so it was nice to see the city from that angle.

Downtown Nashville // Batman Building, no that's not it's real name // via My Instagram

We dipped in and out of a few local stores. I was really disappointed to find out that The Hatch Print Shop is closed on Sundays - I was really hoping to go in there and rummage through old and new screen printed posters. I've become a bit obsessed with screen printing lately (I purchased a Grimey's tshirt, just because it looked cool, and it was screen printed).

We headed down the street on the off chance a bar Mike's been dying to show me, might be open. The last time we were in Nashville it was also a Sunday and said bar was closed. Thankfully we must have shown up at the right time and the Beer Sellar was open. It's tucked away on a side street, a bit hard to find, especially because it's underground. We walked down the cool, brick stairs into the dark, semi seedy looking bar and sat down to order a round. Again I went with Abita, this time Strawberry was the flavor of choice. SO good when it hits your lips. Although I was disappointed to see that they had Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy on tap. That stuff is amazing!!! (beer and lemonade mixed).

The Beer Sellar // via My Instagram

We hung out a bit longer and soon returned P and M to their hotel. Time passes so quickly but we knew we had a 2 hour ride to get home ahead of us. Once home, we hit up a favorite local place for some reubens and then went home to crash on the couch. It was a day well spent and a fun trip, one I hope to make again sometime soon so we can explore more of Midtown.

muscle shoals sound

It's not everyday that you move to a small town, that you've never heard of only to find out while it's still small, it's got a bit of a rock n' roll dynasty attached to it.

Years ago when I moved to Alabama I had no idea I was moving to a den of music history. Slowly over the years I've discovered how much of a hidden gem "The Shoals" really is.

From being the birth place of the Father of the Blues, W.C. Handy to being a place where The Rolling Stones recorded two of my favorite Stones songs, "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses" the area is rich with music history.

I was really excited this morning when Mike was telling me about a documentary that was going to be played at Sundance,  talking all about the history of Muscle Shoals Sound and Fame Recording Studios, [official website for FAME] here in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

// source

I wanted to share it with those of you who are classic rock, pop, R&B etc fans. I'm sure some of you weren't aware of Muscle Shoals sound. If you were like me, I had no idea what they were talking about in the song "Sweet Home Alabama" when they referred to Muscle Shoals, or The Swampers, [Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section], no idea. Now I live here. Who would have thought?

So please take some time if you feel like it, and enjoy the preview to this awesome documentary all about the history of the Muscle Shoals Sound. 

I hope the movie gets BIG buzz at Sundance, because I'm dying to hear all about Aretha Franklin's recordings, and The Stones, as well as all the greats that changed music history for the ages, and even to hear what Bono has to say about it all [watch the preview in the link above].

Specials thanks to my husband, Mike for sharing the link with me!

the curse.

I'm really beginning to fear that my husband and I are cursed. At first it started as a joke here and there. We had an amazing dating life, we moved in together after only dating for 6 months tops, and it was smooth sailing. Almost 8 years later we got engaged it was awesome and then we got married, also awesome.

While we sat in the airport waiting to get on our flight to Cozumel, Mexico for our honeymoon getaway, the news reported about a possible hurricane developing off the coast of Mexico. I tried to just brush it off, hurricane, this is the first I've heard of it. I'm not too worried, after all this is our honeymoon. The wedding was perfect, why would this be any different.

BOY WAS I WRONG!

Upon arriving to our destination it was paradise. We had been upgraded to the nicer, more plush resort in the back of the compound and given a great suite for our week's say. Bonus, our room number was 1022 - our wedding date - FATE!  We settled in, and made our way down to the beach bar for some drinks.

A few margaritas, beers, and chips later we headed up to our room so Mike could take a shower. As he puts it, to wash many time zones worth of funk off of him. I settled in on the bed and flipped through channels, taking in how amazingly cool our room was, and the view of the ocean.  Moments later the phone rang, it was my mother-in-law, frantic. She was apologizing for calling us on our honeymoon and then scolding us for both turning off our cell phones (worried about international charges). She asked to speak with Mike.

Mike was a bit shocked when I brought him the cordless phone and said "It's your mom."

She told us about the hurricane we had already known was on it's way but totally dismissed as something that wouldn't happen. Long story short, for the next three days of our stay we spent our moments freaked out, worried about where to go, what to do, trying to get flights home, trying to reschedule flights to different locations so as to maybe finish out our honeymoon. We discussed looking into flights to New Orleans, or even flights to Nashville - ANYWHERE that might be more fun than returning home. It seemed returning home was our ONLY option and that we'd have to postpone our honeymoon.

A bit broken hearted but knowing that being safe was better than being sorry - we gave Mike's mom the reins to get us home safely. After hours upon hours (make that a full day) of calling around to change arrangements his mom came to a dead end. It was too late to get us out of Mexico. Airlines had stopped flights, and even if we could get a private jet into Mexico they wouldn't let it leave.

As we asked around the resort it seems we got a different answer from every worker, and or guest at the hotel. Some would tell you it was OK to stay, some would say you have to leave, others would say they had no idea to come back later when someone who was higher up could answer such questions.

None of the locals at the hotel seems concerned. That made me feel better, then I realized they were trained to act this way, then I got freaked out. Friends of mine from back home were freaking out. My father remained calm. He knew I knew how to handle myself, and I knew he trusted me to do the right thing. Mike said he was very worried, I think he realized this was his biggest test as a new husband. To keep us both safe and to ensure nothing happened to us.

Finally we made the choice to leave the hotel. Again all our signals were mixed. Stay or go? What happens if you stay and you're evacuated - with out reservations in town you go to the Convention Center with the rest of the locals and most likely where few if anyone speaks English. Needless to say my Spanish is very poor. I know enough on how to order a good drink, ask where a few things are (including the library) and probably be able to tell you how to properly pronounce a menu item so you don't look like a fool requesting "CAY-SA-D-I-LLAS" on the menu.

Instead of waiting to see what might happen, we instead decided to make hotel reservations in town at a local small motel that was $35.00 / night. We followed the lead of an older couple that sort of adopted us that weekend. They were from Arkansas and loads of fun to be around. The wife treated us like her kids and I really felt better having them with us in this new place.

We were instructed to not check out of our hotel, since that would make coming back easier once we returned after the storm, if there was a hotel to return to.  We hopped into a cab with our couple friends and headed into town. Half way there, the cab overheated. Thankfully we weren't left stranded, another cab was right behind us. I will be honest, it's a bit freaky when you're already on edge, to hop from one cab to another. After watching movies like Taken - you are always slightly fearful for your life and welfare in different countries. I'm a very, very cynical person so it was on full blast at this point.

We got safely to the hotel and checked in. The staff was friendly, spoke very broken English but I felt at ease once we were there. We got into our room, it was clean, not fancy, but clean. And I mean, you would feel OK walking in the bathroom barefoot clean. Again no luxury but we were better off than being at the convention center.

Mike and I locked up our valuables and headed out into the streets with our friends to find food. After eating high on the hog for 2 days in our resort, this was a bit of a challenge. We settled for the obvious, a nice authentic Mexican restaurant. We all got beers, and fajitas and some ceviche (my new obsession). We chatted, laughed, talked about what we would do, how we would handle ourselves and I was thankful that even if we didn't get the best honeymoon, we did get a great couple to spend our time in town with. I felt better, and safer with numbers surrounding us.

After our meal we headed to the local market. It was a lot like hitting up Walmart. We got everything we could for our nights ahead. Water, beer, food for sandwiches, ice, cooler, etc. Candles, lighters and batteries for flashlights.

We settled in for a long 48 hours. There was wind, rain, fear, nasty beer, peanuts that tasted like limes that were NOT tasty, gross sandwich meat, wishes of all you could buffets, and sleep. We slept fully clothed. I hate to do this but felt it was necessary incase we got evacuated due to the storm. I kept my passport and other important things in my cargo short pockets. We spent two nights in town. Most of the store fronts were closed the following day. We feared for the worst but after a long 2 nights we woke to sunshine. The water receded, and the birds were chirping.

When we finally got the news we could return to the resort we were beyond happy. Most of our honeymoon was over, but we were alive, safe and sound.

Once back in the resort we were instructed that our rooms were not ready yet, but that we could put our belongings back in our room and enjoy breakfast at the back resort. We headed over to the other resort for a breakfast buffet, mimosas and warm sun on our backs. The 4 of us were so happy to be back. I could hear other resort patrons chatting and complaining about the 2 nights they stayed at the hotel. Our hotel didn't get evacuated, instead they moved all patrons to the back part of the resort away from the ocean. Most were annoyed that they had to eat a Chinese Buffet two nights in a row and that they stopped serving alcohol at 9 PM the first night.  I had to bite my tongue from slaying them a new one... You had Chinese food? I ate nasty salami, and ham sandwiches - I had a "hamburger" in town where they literally had a burger with HAM on it... not good, trust me. And everywhere country wide stopped alcohol sales the night before the storm at 9 PM - great practice if you ask me.

Our bellies were full, and we were told we could return to our room that they had put the TVs back on the wall, refilled our bar, and put everything back in working order.  Side note: If you are ever in this position and you have a free wet bar - stock up on the beer and the coke and water in your suitcase before the storm and take it to your new hotel, it's a lifesaver!!!

Through all this mess, we finally relaxed. We sat on the beach, filled our stomachs with good food and recounted all the fun times (because there were fun times in-between panic), and what freaked us out on our trip. Our last night in the hotel we spent the evening on the hotel roof deck and watched the sunset with our friends we traveled with. We ate a nice dinner and tried to enjoy our last hours in paradise.

If I had it all to do again - I might have said we can't get on the plane at all and beg his mom to help us figure out changing the plans or rescheduling the trip. If anything we have an exciting story about our honeymoon. I would have rather had a lazy week by the pool and ocean, and or a chance to go back and do it over without a hurricane. But in the end, I'm happy we have these silly stories to tell our kids.

I'm sure you're wondering why I say we are cursed. Well ever since our honeymoon when we travel, we end up dealing with some type of natural disaster or unlucky plague.

For our July 4th vacation we headed to Maryland right after Virginia and Maryland had straight-line wind storms causing massive power outages. By the time we arrived to my father's home the power was out for about 12 hours, add to that another 12+ hours of sweating and no electricity. No fun. Add to that the totally heat wave that swept that part of the country and our trip North was far from the oasis we had hoped it would be.

While in Orange Beach, AL for the weekend Mike suffered his second strong bout of heat exhaustion putting a cramp in our weekend on the last night.

Don't get me wrong we are perfectly healthy and perfectly fine. And there are people all over with issues far worse than this, obviously. It just seems like the two of us can't take a trip together without some type of hitch messing something up.

And here we are now, for our final trip of 2012. We are heading to Colorado with Mike's father's entire family. As soon as I heard the news that Storm Draco is on it's way there, and sweeping across the US, all the way over to Chicago and beyond, I thought well, that seems about right. Our layover is in Chicago. So help me if Draco messes up our holiday plans I'm going to call 2012 a wash! Send good vibes our way if you would that we not only make it to CO safely but also back home, and preferably without a delay.

Let's hope that 2013 brings SMOOTH SAILING for us... even if we have more plans to have lots of STAY-CATIONS instead of traveling in the new year.

So tell me, was your honeymoon a dream, or a nightmare? I think ours was a bit of both.