My Top 30 Songs of 2022

There were some bangers released this year! This list doesn’t even begin to encompass all the great songs released over the past twelve months, I’m sure, but these were 30 of the tracks, in no particular order, that stood out to me and were in heavy rotation on my playlists.

Alter Bridge: “Sin After Sin”

Kissing Candice: “South Circle”

Kissing Candice: “see/\saw”

Mac Saturn: “Diamonds”

Call of Sirens: “Kenopsia”

The Funeral Portrait: “Voodoo Doll”

Dark Divine: “Circles”

Lovely Machine: “Picture Frame”

The Veer Union: “Just Pretend (Acoustic)”

Awesome Ray Ray: “Last Desperado”

Silent Theory: “So Far, So Good”

CARBONSTONE: “Scream”

MONOWHALES: “CTRL^^^”

Dark Summer: “In My Heart”

Devils Envy: “Lone Wolf”

Amerakin Overdose: “Agastopia”

A Killer’s Confession: “The Boys”

Modern Mimes: “Down and Dead”

Saliva: “Crows”

Stone Horses: “When I Get Paid”

Shallow Side: “The Worst Kind”

Psyclon Nine: “Money and Sex and Death”

Stone Harvest: “All The Lies”

Death Valley High: “Pretty Graves”

Nickelback: “High Time”

Self Deception: “Psycho”

Stain the Canvas: “Puppet”

Adelitas Way/New Medicine: “Up”

Bad Omens: “Like a Villain”

Shinedown: “The Saints of Violence and Innuendo”

I Completed My 2022 Goodreads Challenge!

My goal was 25 books. I’ve actually read 26 (and started on a 27th). I must have miscounted at some point because I didn’t actually have to finish The Snakes by Sadie Jones to wrap up the challenge. Below is a full list of all the books I read this year.

  • Last Breath (Rachel Caine)
  • The Sandman (Lars Kepler)
  • Dark Across the Bay (Ania Ahlborn)
  • The Invitation (Lucy Foley)
  • Black Dawn (Rachel Caine)
  • The Thicket (Noelle W. Ihli)
  • Afraid (Lisa Jackson, Alexandra Ivy, and Lisa Childs)
  • House (Frank E. Peretti and Ted Dekker)
  • My Pretties (Jeff Strand)
  • The Woods Are Always Watching (Stephanie Perkins)
  • Pan’s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun (Guillermo del Toro)
  • His Final Girl (Brooklyn Ann)
  • Theme Music (T. Marie Vandelly)
  • Bitter Blood (Rachel Caine)
  • Long Live The Pumpkin Queen (Shea Ernshaw)
  • Fall of Night (Rachel Caine)
  • The Hypnotist (Lars Kepler)
  • The Fear (Natasha Preston)
  • Survive the Night (Danielle Vega)
  • Small Spaces (Katherine Arden)
  • Court of the Vampire Queen (Katee Robert)
  • The Maze Runner (James Dashner)
  • Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke (Eric LaRocca)
  • Daylighters (Rachel Caine)
  • Dead Voices (Katherine Arden)
  • Red Rain (RL Stine)

It’s been a good year, and I have found a few new authors I definitely want more from. I’m going to close out 2022 re-reading the Harry Potter series, then hit the ground running in 2023 with a new challenge. Cheers!

This Has Been a Good Week

I know I just wrote a personal post yesterday, but I’ve received some good news since then.

Y’all… I was really brave and took a chance and now I have three more interviews heading your way! So if you’re reading this, you should definitely check out Awesome Ray Ray , Call of Sirens, and Empire Springs (who I actually just encouraged you to follow in my last “3 Bands/Artists You Should Be Following”).

Also, please make sure to read my interview with Wes of Ancient Sins!

And send positive thoughts my way: I’m working on Black Friday. Ughhh.

I hope all of you are doing well!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope all of you are enjoying your day, whatever it is you have chosen to do to celebrate. I myself am having lunch at my grandmother’s. I’m pretty sure we’re having barbecue instead of turkey or ham, but that’s okay: I got my fill of turkey and ham at work last week.

I guess I should do a things-I’m-thankful-for list, right? Hmm…

I’m thankful for family, both blood and otherwise, and my wonderful friends. I’m thankful for my amazing coworkers (even if I sometimes hate the job itself). I’m thankful that my brother and his wife are going to be able to visit in February; it’s been really hard since they moved to Colorado. I’m thankful for music and concerts and the fact that I get to see my favorites – Alter Bridge – for the ninth time in January.

I’m sure I could go on, but those are the things that top my list. If you’re reading this, tell me something you’re thankful for!!!!

Positive Vibes!

The last two weeks have been really good.

Five days after seeing Shinedown in Knoxville, I went to the Spiritbox, Mastodon, and Ghost show in Huntsville. Ghost had been on my bucket list for a while, and they did not disappoint! It was fun and a little cheesy and I loved every minute of it (especially The Nameless Ghouls wrapping up their guitar duel with the instantly recognizable riff to “Sweet Home Alabama”).

And now, the days are shortening, the temperature is dropping, horror movies are starting to come on…fall is returning. Last Saturday, the college football season kicked off (ha!) and my favorite team – the Crimson Tide, of course – annihilated Utah State. We play Texas this weekend. I hope we stomp them into the ground!

Mom and I ventured out on our first quest for Halloween things on Monday. We already have our The Nightmare Before Christmas pajamas from Wal-Mart. (We buy a set every year.) I found some cute sweats that say “HalloQueen” and socks with Jack Skellington and Zero on them. Oh, and my parents got me some Hocus Pocus sleep pants for my birthday. Now I just need the Spirit of Halloween near here to open. Actually, on second thought, maybe not. Lol. I always spend too much money in there.

I’ll update y’all on my reading challenge soon, and I’m aiming to post a “3 Bands/Artists You Should Be Following” next week. I don’t have any big plans, so I should have time to sit down and put it all together.

I hope this blog finds all of you well, and Roll Tide!

Shinedown in Knoxville (Photos)

Last weekend was exhausting, but totally worth it. Saturday, my friend Chris and I drove up to Knoxville. We had dinner at a Mexican place on Market Square and walked around for a while – all the way to the river, actually – before heading to our hotel. After a couple of movies, we went to bed, only to get back up at 7 a.m. on Sunday.

We drove around the campus of the university, explored Ijams Nature Center, visited both the Knoxville National Cemetery and the Old Gray Cemetery, then we had lunch at a BBQ place. Finally, we headed over to Thompson-Boling Arena to begin the wait for Shinedown.

It was miserably hot, we got rained on, and we were on the turf of one of my favorite college football team’s rivals, but I can’t complain. We were front row, on guitarist Zach Myers’ side of the stage, which was perfectly fine with me 😉

I’m not going to wax poetic about how amazing the show was. Just believe me when I say that Shinedown puts on one of the best performances in live music right now. They are so energetic, the band is tight, and front man Brent Smith’s vocals are… Well, you’ve heard him sing, right? Plus, openers Diamante and Dorothy both killed it as well.

It was a hometown show for Brent, and it was magical. The energy was electric. And to top it all off, the mayor of Knox County – who happens to be WWE Hall of Famer Kane, aka Glenn Jacobs – made an appearance. He presented Brent with the key to the city, stating that Knoxville is proud of all that Shinedown has accomplished and really appreciates the band’s inspirational and positive message.

Despite the fact that I was deliriously tired and we had to drive home following the concert, I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. So here are some pictures (and a link to a video I took), just to give y’all a glimpse into the experience. If you have the chance to see Shinedown, DO IT!

First and foremost: “Second Chance” (full song, live) At the beginning, Zach is messing with his lip, then he abruptly starts singing and it is so cute.

My Kentucky Vacation (June 2022)

I spent four days in Kentucky with my best friends this week. They moved up there just over a year ago, and it’s been really hard. I miss them like crazy!

It was nice to get away, if only for a short while. We went out and explored some areas of interest, including the historical community of West Point and a pet cemetery that was on the way to Shepherdsville. But our big adventure was a trip to Bernheim Forest.

If you don’t know about this forest, it is located in Clermont and covers more than 16,000 acres. It is a wildlife sanctuary, an arboretum, a campsite. There are miles and miles of trails to hike and things to see. What Bernheim Forest has become known for, though, is the giants.

Created by Thomas Dambo, the trio of giants are made from local recycled wood and are positioned throughout the area. It was an absolute delight discovering each one, though the map we were given at the entrance left something to be desired – it took us much longer to find the last two giants than it should have. Still, there was plenty to do along the way.

If you’re ever in the area, I would highly recommend a visit to Bernheim Forest. We had a lot of fun, and my friends’ kids loved the giants!