I promise that my reasons for wanting to visit Bayou La Batre have nothing to do with Forrest Gump. However, that book (and movie) is how I discovered the city.
I’m mostly interested in the local cuisine. Bayou La Batre is known as the seafood capital of Alabama, and I love seafood. I’ve been doing some reading about where to eat down there and it seems the “can’t miss” restaurant is The Bayou Seafood Company, so that’s definitely going on my to-do list.
The rest of the interest surrounding Bayou La Batre focuses on the fishing – and shrimping – industry. You can take boat tours and, obviously, go fishing, if that’s your thing. I would most likely skip that and just go look at all the boats. It would be cool to be there when St. Margaret Parish does the Blessing of the Fleet.
There aren’t scenic sandy beaches in Bayou La Batre. For those, you’d have to take a short jaunt to Coden or perhaps Dauphin Island. Actually, reverse that: plan a vacation/weekend in one of the other locations and include a day trip to Bayou La Batre.
Outer Banks, North Carolina, was never on my radar until I watched the Netflix series, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I love that show…though it was actually mostly filmed in South Carolina. Regardless of where they filmed it, the show itself caused me to research Outer Banks and now I wanna visit.
Outer Banks are a chain of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina. If you read my previous bucket list post, you already know I love the beach. OBX also has lighthouses, wild horses, hiking, and kayaking (something I’ve only done once and quite enjoyed).
Cape Hatteras LighthouseRoanoke Marshes LighthouseBodie Island Lighthouse Currituck Beach LighthouseThe wild horses of OBXPea Island National Wildlife RefugeNorth Pond Wildlife TrailNags Head Woods Preserve
I have decided to start a bucket list of places I’d like to travel. A coworker said to me, “You’re almost 40. Stop waiting on other people to do what you want,” and she was right. There are so many things to see, just in the U.S. alone, and I have visited frighteningly few places in my lifetime. I would like to remedy that over the next couple of years.
With that in mind, welcome to my new blog series! I am going to post about places I’d like to go, and hopefully I’ll be sharing a follow-up about actually being there soon!
The first location is Jekyll Island, Georgia.
Okay, it’s not super exotic or anything, and it’s not even terribly far from home, but…
Great Dunes BeachFort Frederica National Monument Abandoned Jekyll Island Amphitheater Georgia Sea Turtle Center
There’s a fair amount to do there, and I love beaches and the water.
“Why not just go to Florida?” you may ask.
Well, I’ve been there. And there are places in the Sunshine State that will definitely be on my bucket list. However, Florida doesn’t have Driftwood Beach – and that particular destination has been on my radar since I first heard about it.
Hey y’all! It’s been a minute since my last check-in, and I hope this one finds you well.
This month has been surprisingly therapeutic for me. It didn’t start that way. I had to cut someone out of my life who meant more to me than I ever did to him and it was very difficult. I struggled with it a lot. I let myself cry, I almost let myself message him, and then I decided fuck it! My tagline became “Dry your eyes and remember who the fuck you are.” And while I won’t say I’m over it, I will say it hurts less now.
The events in May have helped immensely. It started with Mother’s Day. I worked on the actual holiday, but Mom and I celebrated early by exploring a few areas around Huntsville. We hiked almost 7 miles and just…absorbed nature. It was really, really cool – even if we’re not sure the “waterfall” we went to actually constitutes a waterfall. Lol. You’ll see what I mean in the pictures at the bottom of this post.
One of my cousins from Indiana came down that weekend, as well. I didn’t get much time with her; however, we did have a big family dinner on Mother’s Day, which made Mom incredibly happy.
The very next weekend, my brother and I went to a Marilyn Manson show. Now, you may be thinking “ok, you’ve already seen them,” and yeah, you’re right. But I haven’t seen them with my brother. This concert was major for a couple of reasons.
My brother is the OG Manson fan in our household, yet he had never been to a show. I got to take him to his first Manson concert!
Tim Skold is back in the lineup, and if you know me at all, you know I love Tim Skold.
Songs that were in the setlist that I never thought I’d see Manson perform: “Great Big White World,” “Coma White,” “The Nobodies,” and “Dried Up, Tied and Dead to the World.”
Manson looked and sounded great. As my brother said, “Okay, sober Manson. I see you!”
The night was perfect. My brother was so relaxed and happy, and we stuck to tradition and went to Waffle House after the show. Oh! And we tried Hattie B’s for the first time. That was some damn delicious chicken!
Fastforward to the very next weekend. An old friend of mine, Brian, had tickets to The Rise of Rock World Tour, which featured Dorothy, Stone Temple Pilots, and Godsmack. He invited me to go with him, so I did. We had fun during Dorothy, then we had to move to the interior area of the amphitheater because of a storm. Unfortunately, the delay meant Stone Temple Pilots only played six songs, but they were awesome! The new vocalist, Jeff Gutt, nailed it. (He used to be in Dry Cell, a band you know if you ever owned the Queen of the Damned soundtrack.)
Godsmack is always a kick ass show. I’m not a huge fan, but Sully Erna knows how to work a crowd. Most of my favorite songs were on the setlist, except “Moon Baby,” “Bad Magick,” and “Greed.” I’ve accepted I’ll never see them do those…
Can I tell y’all how therapeutic it was, having back-to-back weekends during which I got to scream along with artists who helped me through my angsty teenage years? Man. It was fantastic.
The last stop on May’s healing journey happened yesterday. I went and got a tattoo. I used a different artist than usual, though it was the same shop, and she knocked it out of the park!
Okay. It’s picture time.
Beaverdam Swamp Boardwalk Green Mountain Nature Preserve Green Mountain Nature Preserve Alum Hollow FallsGreen Mountain Nature Preserve Madison County Nature TrailMadison County Nature TrailMadison County Nature Trail Madison County Nature Trail Madison County Nature Trail Madison County Nature Trail Madison County Nature Trail Outfit for the Manson showBrotato!During “Tourniquet.” I was so excited that he wore the stilts!
If you wanna see a few videos from the Manson and Godsmack shows, you can check out my YouTube or Instagram. I also have a few more interviews I’m getting scheduled soon, so look out for those!
Heyyyyy! I hope everyone is doing well! I didn’t do a check-in for March because, honestly, I forgot. (Whoops.) I was dealing with a few things and struggling a little emotionally, and no one wants to read about that anyway.
However, my April has started off great! I’ve been spending a lot of time with family and I did an interview with an artist that I’m a pretty big fan of (which will be posted next week), so yeah. I’m killing it right now.
I wanted to mention a few things I enjoy outside of music – and it’s mostly because I’m going to post some pictures below and I wanna give the background for them 😏
If you’ve been following/visiting the blog for a while, then you already know I love to read. I also play video games, explore cemeteries, and try to find nature trails to walk with my mom. But what I have been doing quite a bit of lately is cooking.
Both of my parents are fantastic cooks, as are my brother and sister-in-law. My grandmothers were, my aunts on my dad’s side, a couple of cousins, my best friend… You get the point. I’ve been around delicious, and almost exclusively homemade, food my entire life. Obviously I’ve spent time in the kitchen. But recently, my brother and sister-in-law have been letting me experiment. I haven’t done anything, like, out there, creatively, yet I’m proud of a couple of meals I’ve fixed, or contributed to, over the last few weeks.
Made spicy chicken ramen for Mom and Dad.Made seasoned pork ramen for my brother and his wifeMy brother did the ribs, and I fried the potatoes and made the lemon meringue pie.
I’m not gonna lie: it’s really basic shit at the moment. I did help my brother and his wife make pasta from scratch a while back. I like being in the kitchen. It relaxes me. I’m going to continue to learn and try new things, so y’all should prepare yourselves for more food blogs 😄
Hey, y’all! I hope 2026 is treating you kindly. For me, personally, it’s already been a weird year. More ups than downs, if I’m counting, but man, the lows are…low.
I started – and binged all of – “Alice in Borderland.” I’ve fully dived into this year’s reading challenge. Mostly, though, I’ve just worked. I have some concerts on the horizon, both big and small, which keeps me going.
Anyway, I just wanted to hop on and check in and share a few photos I snapped in January and February. Haven’t taken a lot of pictures in March yet, but I have two shows in the next week and a half, so I’m sure there will be a deluge of images by month’s end, ha ha.
January
My BFFs’ cat, ChurchPork loin wrapped in bacon, smoked by my brother 🤤My BFFs’ other cat, Autumn My brother and sister-in-law’s cat, Hanzo My brother and sister-in-law’s other cat, Lucifer
2025 was a rough year for me on a personal level, but I would like to celebrate two of my victories here.
First, it was a banner year for the blog. I’ve had Mostly Music up and running for a decade (woooow), and in 2025, this little page garnered the most views I’ve ever had.
So, THANK YOU to everyone who has checked out or shared my posts, and to all the musicians/artists who released kick-ass music for me to share.
The second victory is on a more personal level. I started working out back in…April. I decided I just wanted to tone up a bit. My reasoning was pretty dumb: I didn’t want to disappoint this guy I was talking to, and I feared I wasn’t skinny enough for him. Whatever the cause, I found a couple of low impact, at-home workouts and dedicated myself to them (with a few lapses here and there).
Sometime in the early days, I ordered a dress. A dress voted on by my Facebook friends, and one I absolutely never would have worn out when I first purchased it. This dress became aspirational. The day I could put it on and be comfortable in front of the mirror, I’d know I reached a goal. And, well…
I’m down about 10 pounds, and I’ve lost at least a couple inches. The guy that inspired all of this is still in the picture, somewhat, but my goal now has very little to do with him, and honestly, I’m pretty fucking proud of that.
It’s the first page of a new chapter today. Let’s make this book worth reading.
Happy New Year! I hope all of you had a wonderful 2025 and that 2026 is even better ❤️
I haven’t shared a life update with pictures in ages, it seems, so here we go!
I turned 38 back in August. I was spoiled by my BFF and her husband that weekend. They took me to dinner, then I crashed at their place and did nothing but eat junk, watch movies, and swim. (Oh, and indulge in her fantastic cooking!) It was a much needed break from reality and did wonders for my depression. When we went out, I got dolled up and, honestly, I looked cute as hell. So cute, in fact, that we were barely inside the restaurant before a waitress ran over to tell me how cute I was. Lol.
My two work besties showed up, as well, which completed the perfection that weekend was. I spent Sunday with my parents, who bought me a red velvet cake. Then, on Tuesday, one of my older coworkers left a homemade lemon cake for me. I felt very loved.
In early September, I attended the Carbonstone show in Birmingham. They opened for Julien-K, Spineshank, and The Union Underground. Hanging out with Corey and Chrystal again was a balm to my soul. I also got to meet Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh from Julien-K. I almost chickened out, but Chrystal made me say hi to Ryan when he walked past their merch table, then Ryan was like “Come over here” and led me to their merch table. I bought a vinyl of my favorite album, Death to Analog, and we took a couple of selfies. It was an extremely good night, capped by my college football team winning their game.
Chrystal CoreyRyan and Amir
And now, it’s October. My favorite time of year – spooky season – is here. Which means, of course, that I’ve been living on fall drinks from Starbucks and Dunkin, and my mom and I have been exploring local cemeteries. Our most recent day out was spent at Athens City Cemetery. We actually have family buried there, but we kept our ventures to the older graves.
This is the Confederate Circle, taken from a bit of a distance.
October, November, and December are my favorite three months of the year, even if Christmas doesn’t excite me the way it did as a child. This year, though, my brother and his wife are back in Alabama, so maybe Christmas will regain some of its magic!
I had never had a panic attack, but there I was at work and suddenly, it was like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I couldn’t draw a full breath and I was jittery. I wanted to crawl out of my skin.
It wasn’t long after that I decided to put the blog on hiatus. I was constantly feeling like I couldn’t breathe when I was at work. And yes, there were a lot of things to be stressed about, but no more than usual. I thought maybe I could deal with the job stuff if I wasn’t putting pressure on myself to post here every day.
Then, it got worse. I was unhappy at work. I cried more times than I care to admit. My boss gave me a two week unpaid leave of absence, hoping the break would help. However, at this point, it was no longer just work. I was miserable, period.
I didn’t care about anything. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, and each time I tried, I couldn’t hold onto the conversation. I wanted to sleep all the time. If I hadn’t had to go back to work, I’m pretty sure I would have simply laid in bed and done nothing. That mental state made my job much harder.
I hid out at my best friends’ place, and I sought solace with a coworker who is fast becoming one of my favorite people. These respites were a blessing, but they weren’t going to solve the bigger issue.
So now I’m on a low dose of an antidepressant. It seems to be helping. I’m not as stuck in my own head as I was. I’m not really happy, either. I’m just…here. Existing.
I don’t feel that I’m ready to come back to blogging full-time. I miss writing, though. I’m still keeping up with the 2025 playlist because I owe that to all the musicians out there, and I just updated my reading challenge. (I hadn’t done that since May.)
In other news, my birthday is this week! My best friend is going to spoil me with dinner and painting and horror movies and swimming. We’re gonna get dolled up when we go out; I bought a new dress and everything!
I hope this post finds all of you well, and I hope I’ll get motivated to start blogging again soon. Maybe seeing Carbonstone in September will help with that…
I visited my brother in Colorado for his birthday. He and my sister-in-law have moved since I last saw them, and their new home is in the middle of nowhere. Actually, it’s in an area considered to be a ghost town, which is right up my alley, haha! Needless to say, I wanted to explore all the deserted structures nearby, but we also visited Bishop Castle, North Lake, Monument Lake, a few cemeteries, and Lathrop State Park.
It sounds like we were constantly running around; however, we had plenty of downtime, too. We lazed around the house with a fire going, watching horror movies and TV shows (mostly of the cooking variety). My brother caught up on “Outer Banks,” and his wife and I got him hooked on “Squid Game.”
It was so relaxing. I didn’t want to come back. We’re already planning my next trip. I want to go out in the summer, because I always seem to go when it’s cold. On the other hand, Marilyn Manson is touring in September and has stops in both Denver and Albuquerque, soooo…
Anyway, here are some photos from my trip.
The most haunted building in TrinidadMonument LakeNorth LakeBishop CastleLathrop State ParkThis was at one of the cemeteries in AguilarSame cemetery Another Aguilar cemetery Walsenburg cemeteryNot far from where my brother and his wife live. I Googled it and the area is defined as a ghost town.
Mostly Music 