She's got a bumper like a billboard covered with stickers of her favorite band.

I first heard of the Eli Young Band while in Best Buy one day just wandering with my boyfriend. In the music department they were playing When It Rains and thought the song had a cool groove. I downloaded Jet Black and Jealous onto my ipod that night. I waited and waited for them to come around here to go see them in concert since most of the concerts they have are in TX or OK. They came to Bloomington, IL last November with Jack Ingram and Gary Allan. I didn't buy tickets because they had another date booked for Joe's Bar in Chicago in December. So the day came of the concert in Bloomington and they tweeted they were having a contest for tickets. We were doing nothing else that day so I entered. I didn't think I would win until I got a direct message on twitter from them saying I won. My boyfriend didn't feel like driving so I drove of course! The seats we won were pretty good, a nice side view of the stage. They came on a performed 5 or 6 songs because they were opening, then I wanted to see a little bit of Jack Ingram then leave because my boyfriend had class in the morning. I was looking at twitter on my phone during a break and saw that I had another DM from the Eli Young Band saying we were welcome to come to their meet and greet as well at 8. It was 7:45. WHAT?!?!?! so the next fifteen minutes we were scrambling around trying to find out how to get back there. Finally we found their tour manager at the merch booth and he was so nice to hook us up! We went down to meet them and it was kind of different than any other meet and greet I've been to. We were put in a holding room then taken inside their dressing room to meet them. I thanked them for the twitter tickets and they thanked us for coming. I couldn't believe things like that could happen to us until then. We still saw them at Joe's Bar in Chicago the following month which was awesome because it was a full show!I didn't think I would see them again for a while until the Country Throwdown tour was announced and they were on the lineup. The date for the Chicago show was the same day as my brothers graduation so we planned to drive to Indy the next day to see them. The drive was well worth it. See what happened that day was probably one of the best things that has happened so far this summer. So the Eli Young Band had this contest where they were hiding USB wristbands around the arena where the concert. 3 red ones and 1 blue one, the blue one gets you backstage. So we get to the venue and start searching. My boyfriend wouldn't give up and we were searching until we went to the EYB signing at like 3:15. I get up there and shake all their hands and say hi until I get to the drummer. I told him we were having trouble finding the bracelets, he looked over towards the lead singer and said there were more still out there. I glanced around looking for one and the lead singer was wearing the blue one on his wrist! My boyfriend Dave immediately pointed it out and we got it!!! We met their manager again and he led us backstage. He said to talk to the guys after the show and not before the show since they will be getting ready. Wrong. As soon as they walk backstage they wouldn't stop talking to us, especially the drummer. He even took a picture of Dave and I with a cameo by the bass player. It's pretty hilarious!
I kick myself for not getting a group picture now! The show was awesome, totally different being backstage. It didn't sound as great as it would out in the actual seats but I enjoyed watching the crowd react to them.After the show they left and said they would be back. One of the security ladies let us walk back by the dressing rooms to look at the pictures of other artists that played there. I couldn't resist taking pictures of myself by the dressing room signs.
See that was worth the drive wasn't it?!?! Can't wait to see these guys again in Madison, WI in a couple weeks. Maybe something exciting will happen again? You never know with these guys!

Dancing in Circles: The reason why I love Bluegrass

A lot of you may know I love country music. I grew up listening to Alan Jackson, Patty Loveless, George Strait etc., but you may not know I've been listening to bluegrass since I was pretty much a baby. My grandpa grew up in Kentucky and brought his love of bluegrass with him to Illinois. In one of my Dad's home videos my Grandpa was dancing around with me in the living room of his house to some bluegrass music. I can't quite remember what the song was or who it was by but he looked like he was having so much fun with me and I had a huge smile on my face. I guess I pretty much have my Grandpa to thank for falling in love with the sound of the fiddle, mandolin, and steel guitar. When we were a little older, my parents would take us down to a dance hall in a neighboring town at a campground that had live bluegrass and country music. My grandpa was always there too and would take turns dancing with me and my brother. My parents have a great picture of my brother and I dancing somewhere that I wish I had a copy of. They also have another home video of my brother and I dancing to the bluegrass music at Opryland when it was still open in Nashville not Opry Mills. Sweet Memories :)
Now to the real reason why I am writing this blog. Dierks Bentley. He is one of my favorite country artists that recently released a Bluegrass album this year. I've always liked the bluegrass tracks he put on the 4 cds he put out before this one. My Aunt Barb once said after a Dierks Bentley concert in Iowa that my Grandpa would've liked him because of the bluegrass songs he sang in the bluegrass set that night. I think he would've played this CD over and over again like we did when it came out in June. If you want to know what real bluegrass sounds like with a mix of country I would go get a copy of Up On the Ridge if you haven't already!

There's a boy here in town, said he'd love me forever

I was downstairs putting away some more stuff since we had moved when I came across my diary that I started 3 years ago before I met my boyfriend Dave. I was reading about how I met my exe's and how I wrote how much I loved them.......Kept turning the pages thinking how much I have grown since then. I don't like to dwell in the past anymore. I'm too worried about the future. As I was reading I kept thinking how insecure I was then compared to now. Like now I feel comfortable and safe even if something happens I know things will turn out alright in the end. That was just a chapter in my life that seemed out of control, but that chapter lead into the book I'm in now. It's been hard I admit sometimes over the 2 and a half years I've been with Dave but we always work it out. He may like to play video games a little more than I like but I deal with it because it's what he likes to do. Just like he puts up with me and my concert addiction although he does enjoy the concerts. I finally feel like I'm coming back into my own for the first time in a while. I've been trying to practice my guitar as much as possible which is turning into almost everyday. I want to be ready and I will be ready for when we move next year. I sure hope Dave finds a job in Nashville so I can do what I love too.
Sing. Write. Dream.