Posing as a Travel Blog, a.k.a. My Colorado Vacation

I spent last week in Colorado. Trinidad, to be exact. I flew out to visit my brother and sister-in-law, and to enjoy five days far away from my job.

We didn’t plan things to do, we just did them. My brother smoked burgers and ribs because I love his cooking. We traveled highway 12 and ventured up to Simpson’s Rest, neither of which we’d managed during my previous trips due to the weather. He took me down to New Mexico, over the Raton Pass, through Carson National Forest, and into Eagle Nest. On my last full day, we drove to Rye and checked out Bishop Castle. I climbed to the second highest level there, but was too chicken to go to the top (especially since it was raining and the stairs and rails were wet).

Other than that, I had downtime with family. We ate good food and watched a lot of Netflix and Hulu. I convinced my brother to sit through the Fear Street films (he actually didn’t mind them), and I think I got him hooked on “Outer Banks.” Oh, and I was introduced to my newest furry nephew, Lucifer.

I could go on and on. However, I’ll just tell my story in pictures. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, after all.

(The cats get uploaded as individual images. I’ll group each day trip into a gallery.)

Lucifer
Lucifer again ❤️
Hanzo

A Whole Lotta Good, But Also Some Bad

Hello, all! I hope this post finds you well. I just wanted to jump on here and give y’all an update on things.

I have four interviews in progress, though one seems to have stalled out because of circumstances beyond his control. I’m really looking forward to sharing them, Carbonstone’s in particular. I have also been receiving emails from various promoters requesting that I share singles and tour dates for bands they represent. I was followed on Facebook by Paul Crosby Management, which is cool (and if you’d like to follow too, here’s the link 😉).

I have almost finished yet another book for my Goodreads reading challenge, so keep an eye out for my next update post about that.

As for the bad news, I had to miss the Alter Bridge show in Nashville because I was too sick to go. I went to my doctor yesterday and he put me on an antibiotic and a medicine meant to break up congestion and help keep my lungs clear. I was gutted to skip the concert, but there is a bright side. I should be well in time to enjoy my brother’s visit this weekend! And we may have missed Alter Bridge, but I’m taking Mom to her first Shinedown show in April so… I guess we’ll recover. Haha.

Thank you to everyone who even acknowledges this blog. Drop a comment if you’d like, telling me something good – or bad – that has happened lately, or just how you’re doing today!

Cheers!

A Few Things…

The majority of my posts over the last week have been previously scheduled posts, so I figured I’d give y’all a real time update on my life in general.

We lost my uncle (my dad’s youngest brother) last week. His funeral was Sunday, the 1st, which I hope is not a sign of how our 2023 is going to go. The aftermath has been rough: I won’t pretend I was super close to my uncle, but I wasn’t prepared for that generation of family members to start dying. I mean, my grandmother is still trekking along! And yes, I know that’s not the way the world works; people don’t always pass from oldest to youngest. However, I can tell you that I’ve made my peace with my grandmother’s inevitable death, as she has had health issues for a while now and I have thus had time to accept what’s coming. But my uncle? That one blindsided all of us.

On a positive note: it is now 19 days until my date with Alter Bridge! I have three interviews I’m in the process of wrapping up (and one I just started), so get ready for those. And last, but certainly not least, I have been putting a lot of time and energy into the Facebook page for this blog and it seems to be paying off. I’m gaining followers and my blog views have increased and I’ve been interacting with some really cool bands/artists. If you’re interested, the link to that page is below.

I hope all of you had a Happy New Year, and the first four days of 2023 have treated you well! Be ready for my first Goodreads Reading Challenge update soon!!!

Visit my Facebook page! 🤘😘

Goodbye, 2022!

I hope this post finds all of you well. I just wanted to do a little personal blog to say thank-you to everyone who is following me. 2022 has been quite a year for me, and I hope next year is even better! It’s bound to be, really, considering I’m kicking things off with an Alter Bridge show… 😁🤘🏻

I already have two interviews lined up for early in 2023. Be ready for those, and in the meantime, feel free to revisit the ones I’ve already done. I’ll link them below. If you know of any bands I need to check out – or try to interview – leave a comment. I really want to do more song and album reviews next year, and I hope to do a bi-weekly Bands/Artists You Should Be Following post.

I will be participating in the GoodReads Challenge again. I think my goal will be 40 books this year. If you have any author or book recommendations, please share them with me!

Also, my second 30 day challenge begins tomorrow! This time I will be posting about movies. As always, I invite you to play along on your blog or in my comment section.

I never make resolutions, but I do have one for 2023. I’m not going to voice (or write) it at the moment; however, I will be very open once I’m in the process of getting it done. If resolutions are your thing, may you smash them! If not, I hope you kill whatever goals you set for yourself. It’s been a rough few years, and we all deserve a much better 2023.

Cheers!

Four Months of Challenges

I am about to embark on a 30 day challenge. Actually, I’m doing one each month from December to March. I figure this is a good way to ensure I have something to post every day even when I’m struggling for inspiration. The four I found are:

  • 30 Day Song Challenge
  • 30 Day Film Challenge
  • 30 Day Horror Movie Challenge
  • 30 Day Book Challenge

Feel free to do these along with me, either on your own blog or in my comments! I would enjoy the company 🙂

Seeing as music is my main focus here, I’m going to start with the 30 Day Song Challenge. Tomorrow will be day one, so get ready!

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!!!!

It’s Already November?! Well, Here’s How October Went…

Where has the time gone? 2023 is a little under two months away… That’s crazy.

The last few weeks I’ve been slacking. My posts have mainly been song of the day posts, or new music alerts. I haven’t had the energy to do much else. Between working and being sick – sick, on my favorite holiday! the outrage! – it’s all I can do to post every day. However, I think that will change soon. I’m feeling better, a ton of tour announcements have hit social media, and I have a few movies, shows, and books to write about. Keep your eyes open for some variation in my content!

Now I’m going to finish “The Watcher” on Netflix. But let me leave y’all with a few pictures from Halloween, the Brother Cane concert, and the Gunshine/Seven Year Witch/Magnolia Bayou show! My October in a nutshell.

Motivation Monday – Asking Alexandria: “Alone in a Room”

It’s been a minute since I shared one of these posts, but I’ve been needing a pick-me-up and I figured I could share another song that’s helped me over the past few years.

I really love the message behind “Alone in a Room,” because it focuses more on coming to terms with yourself, your flaws and mistakes and all of the things we don’t exactly want to face. Sometimes, we only have ourselves to blame, and that’s a hard pill to swallow.

Back in my darkest days, when I was convinced I’d never shake my overwhelming sense of unhappiness, I heard this song for the first time. And it woke me up to a few things I had to work on, things no one else could fix for me. I played it on repeat, along with the other tracks I’ve written about, and it granted me a light at the end of the tunnel.

Check out the acoustic version here.

“Alone in a Room”

I’ve been away a little while
Sometimes I just can’t help myself
When my mind’s running wild
I seem to lose grip on reality
And I try to disregard
The crazy things the voices tell me to do
But it’s no use
I tried to own it, write songs about it
Believe me, I’ve tried; in the end, I needed to breathe
Find inspiration, some kind of purpose
To take a second to face the shit that makes me, me

All I needed was the last thing I wanted
To sit alone in a room and say it all out loud
Every moment, every second, every trespass
Every awful thing, every broken dream
A couple years back and forth with myself in a cage
Banging my head against the wall, tryna put words on a page
All I needed was the last thing I wanted
To be alone in a room, alone in a room

I saw the world a couple times
Tried to cure the ache with absence
But that hole was still a hole
And my mind kept playing tricks on me
Feeling older every day
Took everything I had to not crash and burn
But I’m starting to learn
Sometimes I’ll fall down, sometimes I’ll lose hope
But those days will be few if I keep my feet on the ground
I might be lonely, but I ain’t alone here
So I keep pushing the limits of what makes me me

All I needed was the last thing I wanted
To sit alone in a room and say it all out loud
Every moment, every second, every trespass
Every awful thing, every broken dream
A couple years back and forth with myself in a cage
Banging my head ‘gainst the wall, tryna put words on a page
All I needed was the last thing I wanted
To be alone in a room, alone in a room

I can be better than I was
I can be better than I am
All I needed was the last thing I wanted
To sit alone in a room

All I needed was the last thing I wanted
To sit alone in a room and say it all out loud
Every moment, every second, every trespass
Every awful thing, every broken dream
A couple years back and forth with myself in a cage
Banging my head ‘gainst the wall, tryna put words on a page
All I needed was the last thing I wanted
To be alone in a room, alone in a room

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!