Personal blog

Positive Vibes!

September 9, 2022 — Leave a comment

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)

September 4, 2022 — Leave a comment

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.

I uploaded these separately as they’re my favorites.

Didn’t Want To Lose My Streak

August 28, 2022 — Leave a comment

So I’m not doing my usual concert announcement and/or song of the day because I am in Knoxville, anxiously awaiting the Shinedown show tonight, but I will be back tomorrow!

It’s Friday, I’m in…a Funk

August 12, 2022 — Leave a comment

Not the best blog title, but it matches my mood.

A little over two weeks ago, I went to Atlanta for the Freaks on Parade Tour. The show was my early birthday gift from one of my best friends, and it was everything I could have hoped for. I had waited 20 years to see Powerman 5000, Static-X, and Mudvayne – and though Rob Zombie wasn’t who I was there for, his set was fun. (John 5 stole the show, in my opinion, but I’m biased: I’ve loved him since he was with Manson.)

I even have an entire sob story about my past attempt to see Mudvayne. I won tickets to the Summer Sanitarium Tour that featured them, Deftones, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, and, of course, Metallica. Well, we arrived late and missed all of Mudvayne’s set. Then they broke up and I never thought I’d see them live. But I got to see them on their first tour back together!

After the show, I took a chance and messaged one of the guitarists from Powerman 5000 on Facebook. I just made the simple statement that I would have liked to have met him, but maybe next time. He replied “Have you left yet?” and after a short exchange, he made his way to the entrance of the Live Nation Lounge to say hi. I was over the moon. Yeah, he’s not an original member of the band, but who cares? I still met a member of PM5K 🙂

I put a filter on him and he said he didn’t even care that it made him “girl pretty.” Lol.

But since then… I dunno. I’ve been depressed. I’m not super happy at work, my love life is non-existent, my best friend of 20 (almost 21) years is all the way in Kentucky, my brother is in Colorado. And maybe some of it has to do with my birthday being this week. I didn’t bat an eyelash when I turned 30, but for some reason, 35 is bothering me more than it should.

So I’m posting this blog in the hopes that writing it all out will help, or perhaps one of my readers will have some sage advice on how to deal with getting older. Just don’t say “you’re still young!” I’ve heard that a lot recently and it doesn’t make me feel any better.

I hope everyone else is having a fantastic August! The next thing I have to look forward to is jury duty. Woohoo…

Unproductive Week

July 24, 2022 — Leave a comment

I feel like I didn’t achieve much this week. I worked a lot, and attempted to discuss some issues with my superiors but got absolutely nowhere. I did laundry – even folded it and put it away within 24 hours! Lol.

My biggest achievement was probably getting my dad’s birthday gift taken care of. See, whenever possible, I like to take my parents to concerts for things such as birthdays, Christmas, Mother’s/Father’s Day, etc. Well, Brother Cane is coming to town two days before my dad’s birthday, and Dad has been a big fan of them for years. He and my brother have seen Damon Johnson, but Dad has never had the chance to see the full band. I’m not sure how many original members remain; however, now that they’ve reunited and decided to tour, I couldn’t let the opportunity pass. So Mom and I are taking him to the show.

On a personal high note: my employees gave me an award this week for “building strong relationships” and “always putting my employees first.” Normally the awards come from upper management, but two of my employees asked if they could personally present me with one. It’s the most meaningful thing I have received since I started working there a little over two years ago ❤️

I hope this post finds all of you well, and that your weeks are going better than mine. Surely next week will be an improvement. After all, I am going to stay with a friend in Georgia and we’re going to see Powerman 5000, Static-X, Mudvayne, and Rob Zombie!

My Kentucky Vacation (June 2022)

June 17, 2022 — Leave a comment

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!

James Young Family Cemetery
A marker showing the water levels of past floods. Check out 1937!
Little Nis, the son
Mama Loumari
Little Elina, the daughter
The view at the end of the Canopy Walk
The Spirit Nest
The memorial for Bernheim

Colorado (In Pictures)

April 7, 2022 — Leave a comment

We almost missed our first flight, our second one was delayed (because some genius put us on a plane that wasn’t equipped to fly/land in snowy conditions, despite the fact that we were headed to Colorado Springs), and my mom had a mild case of elevation sickness on our third day there. Other than that, the trip to visit my brother and his wife was an absolute success!!!! I had visited last year, but we didn’t get to do a lot of sightseeing, and this was Mom’s first trip – and first time flying. The whole area is so beautiful. (Raton, New Mexico, wasn’t that impressive, though. Lol.)

We’re both dying to go back already. I’m aiming for some time during the summer so we can get out and explore a little more. Below are pictures I took during our excursions, and one from the plane because I’m that person 🙂

This was captured about 10 minutes from DFW
Driving towards Trinidad
The Raton sign
Scenic overlook coming into Colorado from New Mexico
Their cat, Hanzo, who was sad because we wouldn’t allow him in the guest room

A Quick Hi From Colorado!

March 22, 2022 — Leave a comment

I will do a longer blog about my trip early next week, but for now I wanted to drop in and share some pictures. I just didn’t want to break my posting streak while on vacation (as lame as that is).

We fly back home tomorrow, which sucks. It has been a fantastic five days – complete with much needed family time, lots of snow, some exploring, and really, really good food. I can’t wait for our next trip out here!

Central Park
The view from 12
We took a drive down to Raton, New Mexico

Too Busy For Blogging

December 11, 2019 — Leave a comment

I keep trying to get back into a regular posting schedule, but life has been determined to intervene. After my grandmother passed in October, my best friend’s mother-in-law died. I was there for her and her husband, and to be honest I was emotionally drained. My dad noticed and planned a spur-of-the-moment trip to the beach.

I can’t tell y’all how much I needed the three days of sun, sand, and sea. Despite the fact that it was November, the weather was gorgeous. I was able to wade in the water and bask in the sun (with a lightweight jacket on). I even got a touch of sunburn.

Since then, it’s just been…change. I’m searching for a new job and trying to get things ready for Christmas. Last week, I took a day trip to Cathedral Caverns with my parents, which was nice.

2019 has had its ups and downs. I won’t say the year has been bad, necessarily, but I am hoping 2020 is better. And it will certainly start that way — I’m going to see Alter Bridge again in February.

Anyway, for those who care, I wanted to give an update. I also wanted to let y’all know there will be some end-of-year posts, I’m just not sure I can keep up with the Playlist Challenge or a weekly featured band right now.

Here are more pictures from the beach and the expedition in Cathedral Caverns! I hope this blog finds you all well.

Gulf Shores

Cathedral Caverns

This is Goliath, one of the largest stalagmites in the world, 45 feet tall and 243 feet in circumference.

“The Improbable”: a 27-feet high stalagmite, growing on a 3-inch base and at a 45 degree angle to the stone below it.

Halloween 2019 [Photos]

November 4, 2019 — Leave a comment

I just wanted to share some pictures from our Halloween get-together ❤

I was Harley Quinn. Overdone, I know, but I already had the costume and I was lazy this year. Ha! My best friend did my makeup.

The bestie and her son/my nephew, Alex. He was Sub-Zero.

Tiff’s husband, aka my “husband-in-law”

Tiff’s daughter/my niece, Ivy. She was a dead kitty.