Upcoming Events

I know, I have been a bad, bad blogger. Things are just so busy right now. Work is crazy as this is our super busy season, and I am the lone ranger of the graphics department. But that's job security! This summer is going to be crazy busy with all kinds of fun and exciting events!

My nephew Liam's third birthday party will be tomorrow. He is really coming out of his shell and not nearly as shy as he used to be, so I am excited to get to see him play with all his friends at Monkey Joe's. He's a spunky little thing.

Next Friday, while my husband is apparently going to take a curling class (yep, ice shuffleboard), Amanda and I are going to go to the Double Door to see some bluegrass. Yeehaw! I am finding now that smoking indoors has been outlawed in NC, I am able to enjoy going to clubs and bars a bit more. I never realized just how much my claustrophobia was enhanced by the giant cloud of smoke.

Coming up in July, on the 3rd & 4th we are going to the music festival at the Whitewater Center. On the 3rd, we will see Langhorne Slim (preceded by the Overmountain Men, headed up by Bob Crawford of the Avett Brothers). And on the 4th, we will see the New Familiars, and the headliner, personal fave ANDERS OSBORNE!! Been wanting to see him again since Amanda and I saw him perform with Voice of the Wetlands at the Visulite last month. Awesome soulful blues/rock and a super nice guy too. I'm hoping before the music starts, we will get to go rafting again.

Also in July, beach week (well, weekend for me) with the Davis clan. It will be great to see all of our nieces and nephews who come from over yonder in Iowa and Florida (you know, far, far away). There will be much games, golfing and probably shopping. Who knows what else!

Coming up in August, James and I will be racing in the Warrior Dash out at Rural Hill Farm. A 3 mile run/obstacle course, after which there will be much beer, food and music. It will be hot, and I might die from the running, but it will be a blast. I am hoping old friend Travis Dancy will be able to find out what bands are playing (or maybe new friend Micah Davidson will). As it is, we are pretty much planning to hang out both days and party.

In September, I will probably go see Paul Thorn with Amanda and her hubs (I'm kind of inviting myself) :-D

Meanwhile, I am working on my GD/Photo portfolio & website, because I am thinking of branching out in to some freelance work. Not so much for the money, but to get the chance to do some art for industries that get more exposure, such as music, sporting events, etc. It's a lot of work to do on the side, but I'm hoping it will lead to great experiences.

My book is resting on its laurels for the time being, as I don't want to force it out, so we will see what happens next at a later date.

Last but not least, I got my new ink last night. Emily from Cosmic Tattoos did an awesome job on my design, and I couldn't be happier with it. Even when the power went out for an hour right in the middle! If you've ever gotten a tattoo filled in after it's been sitting and getting sore for an hour, you'll understand how painful a situation that is. But it was worth it. And I will be keeping Emily in my thoughts as she goes into surgery today.

So that is my summer in a nutshell. I am sure more cool things will happen and I will report the breaking news. Have a good weekend, all.

Better Late Than Never

So I haven't posted in a long time. But let's face it, who's really reading this anyway? A lot has happened since my last post. Work has been crazy so I haven't had much time for anything but eat. sleep. work. eat. sleep. work. Which is a cycle I don't miss from working at ITAH. But unfortunately this is our busy season. Not much time for writing right now, unfortunately. :-/

I've been going to a lot of concerts lately, too. It's funny, because I don't really like concerts, considering my claustrophobia, agoraphobia, and general anxieties.... but I'll deal with it if it's someone I really, really like. And apparently this is the year that everyone I really, really like is coming to Charlotte.

First was Jonny Lang of course. You can read about that in a previous post. Next was the Avett Brothers who actually sold out Bojangles Coliseum. They were amazing, as always. But we were really far away, and sitting around some really obnoxious people. But I will always be there when they come to Charlotte, no matter how many panic attacks want to come out. James went with me to that one, of course.

Next was a favorite of mine, Tab Benoit and Voices of the Wetlands Allstars. I went with my buddy Amanda, same one who went to Jonny with me. I've got her addicted to Tab almost as much as I am. Anyway, VOWA is Tab's non-profit organization and music side project. While the show was absolutely awesome because we were right up front, basically touching the stage, I really want Tab Benoit to come back to Charlotte with his band and play his music. Because it is made of awesome! So I have been making a general pest of myself by posting on FB, emailing booking agents, managers, potential venues, etc, to make sure that people know there are a lot of fans out there. Then maybe Jonny will swing by again soon, too. This has also inspired me to try to make the trip down to NOLA next year for JazzFest. This year, Tab Benoit & The Avett Brothers played at the same time, different stages, so that would have been a disaster for me!

After that, Amanda and I went to a FREE concert in Charlotte for a personal favorite of both of ours, Josh Kelley!!!!! I have been listening to Josh Kelley since James and I started dating, so his older music reminds me of our early years. That concert was outdoors, and super fun although they ONLY had COORS! Blech. Josh is usually very fan friendly so we stalked for awhile, but he never came out. Also saw Gary Allen on that one, who I don't really listen to, but he puts on a really decent live show.

Coming up next, Amanda (assuming I can convince her), Chad and I will drive to Asheville to see Adele on June 18th!

After that, Anders Osborne is headlining a FREE concert at the WWC on the 4th. He is a sick guitarist too. He plays with Tab on the VOWA project, but his solo stuff is bluesy rock and he is a really, really cool guy. He came out and talked to fans at the VOWA show! He also interacts with fans on his FB page.

That is probably it unless OCMS comes to Charlotte, or until Tab Benoit comes back. Of course, my goal whenever I go to a concert or anywhere where there will be famous people, is to meet and possibly get pictures with, any of said famous people. So stay tuned for my stalking adventures.

In other news, my cousin Andrew married a wonderful lady named Tiffany, and I got to have an adventure out west to Jackson Hole, WY to see it!

My childhood friend Travis got married as well and that was really great to see.

My cousin Philip has moved back up this way to raise some hell (and go to school) so that is awesome, as we rarely got to see each other before.

Well, my battery is dying so that is the best recap I have. Stay tuned for more fun filled posts! Hopefully....