Day 01 - Favorite Song

I've put some thought into this post. Choosing ONE favorite song is so difficult. Especially when you are me and you love every genre of music that there is. All in all, I have to say that this song, Grey Street by Dave Matthews Band is my favorite that I choose to share tonight. This song has special meaning to me. I also got to see Dave play this live in Louisville. AH-MAZING. Fo reals. Your ears will thank you after listening. Promise.

"Oh look at how she listens
She says nothing of what she thinks
She just goes stumbling through her memories
Staring out on to Grey Street.

She thinks, "Hey, how did I come to this?"
I dream myself a thousand times around the world
But I can't get out of this place.

There's an emptiness inside her
And she'll do anything to fill it in
But all the colors mix together - to grey
And it breaks her heart

How she wishes it was different
She prays to God most every night
And though she swears it doesn't listen
There's still a hope in her it might
She says "I pray, oh But they fall on deaf ears,
am I supposed to take it on myself?
To get out of this place? "

Oh There's a loneliness inside her
And she'll do anything to fill it in
And though it's red blood bleeding from her now
It feels like cold blue ice in her heart
When all the colors mix together - to grey
And it breaks her heart

There's a stranger speaks outside her door
Says take what you can from your dreams
Make them as real as anything
Oh It'd take the work out of the courage
But she says "Please
There's a crazy man that's creeping outside my door,
I live on the corner of Grey Street
and the end of the world."

Oh there's an emptiness inside her
And she'll do anything to fill it in
And though it's red blood bleeding from her now
It's more like cold blue ice in her heart
She feels like kicking out all the windows
And setting fire to this life
She could change everything about her
Using colors bold and bright
But all the colors mix together - to grey
And it breaks her heart
It breaks her heart
To Grey"

{And now a sampling of the pictures from my Dave experiences}

And They Call the Thing Rodeo

Growing up, Garth Brooks was always the norm. His music was everywhere I turned. My Mom had all of his cassette tapes and while cleaning on Saturday mornings, his music would blare throughout the house. There's no way to sleep through, "Friends in Low Places". That's for dang sure. Take my advice. I can vividly remember staying with my aunt and her playing "The Thunder Rolls" on her record player. In high school, the dance team that I was a member of, did a kick routine to "Ain't Goin' Down 'Till the Sun Comes Up". Great routine. My friend, Michelle fell in the mud during this routine. I'll never forget it. When I went to the Christmas dance my senior year with a friend, my ex-boyfriend (who was a freshman in college at this point), brought me our pictures back together with a letter that actually read, "I'm glad I didn't know, the way it all would end, the way it all would go. Cause I'd of had to miss the dance (Snowball)." Yes, sirree...he used Garth in a bitter letter. Since high school, Garth has become more of a memory. He retired and has since gone to Vegas to perform alone. No band. My friend Anthony and I even contemplated going to see him, just because we thought we'd never have the chance. That is, until Garth decided to help out good ol' Nashville with flood relief efforts. Yep, a concert to raise some money. Then he kept adding and adding and adding shows. When it was all said and done, he had planned 9 shows. In the beginning, I didn't think that I was that hell bent on going to see Garth. I didn't look into tickets and didn't really talk to my friends about it. The closer the show got, the more I wanted to go. I put a plea on facebook and my great friend, Erin pulled through! She called me a few days before the show and asked me to go on Friday. The last day of school before Christmas break, and the day before I have to drive all the way to Frankfort (2 hours away). Sure! I'm in!

On Friday, I gathered my things and jetted out of school. I came home, changed and freshened up, got into my car and drove the hour down to Nashville. Once I got there, I parked and met Erin and Nick for dinner on Broadway. While eating, Erin gives us our tickets. Nick's face was priceless. He attends a lot of Predators hockey games and knew that we had great seats. I was oblivious. Just happy to be going, regardless of whether I get a nose bleed from being so high. We get into the arena, get an adult beverage and make our way to our seats. This is what we saw:

SIX ROWS from the stage. We were on the side of the stage, but it didn't matter. Remember the old Garth? The one that ran around like crazy in his videos of his concerts? Even though he's older...he's still got it! He was breathing a little heavy at some points and moved a little slower, but he was bound and determined to put on a good show. And boy did he!

One of my favorite things about some of the pictures that I have, is not only Garth, but the look of joy on all of the people's faces. He sure put a smile on my face. I was taken right back to my childhood in listening to some of his songs. WHOOWEE, Garth. I sure have a rekindled love for you. And my love sails like a vessel.