Location: Jurgaičiai, Lithuania, north of the city of Šiauliai
This is a site of Catholic pilgrimage. You can learn more on Wikipedia if you’re interested.
Just looking at the pictures, I find this place to be eerily beautiful. Check it out for yourself.
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.
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 🙂
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!
Hello!
I fell off the face of the earth during Covid, but as some of you have surely noticed, I’m back! There has been so much to share – from new music to tour dates – that I am just now getting the chance to post a little personal blog and tell y’all what’s up with me.
Well, I honestly haven’t been doing much besides working. My best friend and her family moved to Kentucky last year, so I’ve driven up there twice to visit them. I had never been to Kentucky before, and they took me to the Indiana state line so now I can say I’ve been there as well. Ha!
I also flew out to Colorado in February 2021 to see my brother and his wife. They have lived there since 2017 and that was my first time going to them, and my first time flying. (They have flown home three times, once for a memorable weekend in Dauphin Island.) Colorado was beautiful! We knocked out a couple of other firsts: me gambling and both of them getting tattooed. It was so much fun, but a very short trip. No worries, though. Mom and I are heading out there next week!
Other than that, I’ve been to a few concerts. I saw A Killer’s Confession (and met Waylon Reavis and Church, both formerly of Mushroomhead). I went to a John 5 show and met him, which made my life as I’ve been a fan since I was 12. Small Town Titans came to town, as did Smith & Myers, Tommy Vext, South of Eden, and Blacktop Mojo. And I hung out a lot with Alabama’s very own Throne of Eden.
Now, I’m really just crossing my fingers that the Rammstein tour happens this year. I guess I would be satisfied with an Alter Bridge run in the fall/winter instead; they keep hinting that they’ve begun writing for a new album.
I hope this blog finds all of you well, and that your 2022 is going much better than the last two years! I’m gonna wrap this up with a few pictures. Until next time! 🙂
She disapproved of me staying out so late…
But she forgave me 🙂
My Jack Skellington dress ❤
The bestie
Pine Torch Cemetery
Pine Torch Church
Brushy Lake
Sharing a mirror while getting ready for a day out
So as you can tell, I’ve been spending time with my BFF (as always) and relaxing with my cat. The bestie, her husband, and I went out exploring on my last off day; that’s where the pictures from Brushy Lake and Pine Torch Church came from.
Other than that I’ve just been working and waiting on a friend to get back from his exile to another state. He moved for a job. Insert sad face here…
Oh! And of course I’m counting the days to new music from Almost Kings and Lynam. 🙂
Mostly Music 