BVJ Countdown - Day 6!

Clothes don't mean that much to me

Maybe you better go and ask the snake

And what really turns me on is the shake

Shake it to the left

Shake it to the right

Come on baby you know what I like

Shake it real funky shake it real low

Shake it 'til you can't shake it no more

The Shake - Neal McCoy

Love this song. Reminds me of childhood. Might miss this guy cuz he's at the kick off party but he is still lovely!

-M.

BVJ Countdown - Day 5!

So she packs her bags to try her hand

Says this might be my last chance

She's gone country, look at them boots

She's gone country, back to her roots

She's gone country, a new kind of suit

She's gone counrty, here she comes

Gone Country - Alan Jackson

So this one is kind of a requested one, in a way ;). My friend Chelsea remarked on my last post about how she 'Can't wait to see some A-jax:)'. So I figured I'd oblige. I love this classic country song from Alan. Heck he's classic country all his own. You gotta love when people go country, it's the best way :). I definitely hope he plays this gem at BVJ. I'm going country that weekend for sure!!

-M.

BVJ Countdown - Day 4!

Sometimes I laugh

Sometimes I cry

Sometimes I do both and I don't know why

I got a Passionate heart

And that's just the way things are

You and me could give it a whirl

But I'm warning you, boy

I'm an emotional girl.

Emotional Girl - Terri Clark

I love Terri and have seen her live once. She is an amazing performer and vocalist. I love this song because as women we are emotional but all it takes is finding that one guy that is willing to put up with all of our crap and love us for who we are :). 

-M.

BVJ Countdown - Day 3!

My Daddy was a wild one when he was younger
Everyone told my mamma he'd be hard to tame
Full of himself, said "Sir" to nobody
But you ought to see him come running when mamma calls his name

Where would we be without the love of a woman
Standing behind her man even when he's wrong
The true, pure, undying love of a woman
Makes a man a fool to think he can make it alone

Love of a Woman - Travis Tritt

Ok this post is totally selfish, because hey, it's my blog and I do what I want ;).

I LOVE THIS SONG! It is my favorite Travis Tritt song and when I found out he was gonna be at BVJ all I could think about is this song!

The whole message of the song is just awesome. About how a man can do so much more with a woman by his side. Just a super romantic song I think.

-M.

BVJ Countdown - Day 2!

2nd day of the countdown! Woot!! :)

The best buzz I'm ever gonna find

Hey, I'm a little drunk on you

And high on summertime

Drunk on You - Luke Bryan

After having an amazing weekend with friends and a special someone, this lyric really rings true. I love summertime. There is so much growth and new life. New chances for love, friendship and everything else under the sun. Just a very sweet lyric to start your Monday :) And who isn't happy for that?

P.S. - I'm going to a wrestling show tonight. I'll probably write a blog post about the 'music' (right ;)) that I see there :). Look forward to that!

-M.

Countdown to BVJ - Day 1!

Ok, so I'm aware that Big Valley isn't for another 67 days, but I heard a song from one of the artists scheduled to play this year on my iPod and decided I wanted to try and do a lyric a day type of deal. 

So here goes!

Day 1 :).

Well you know those times when you feel like
There's a sign there on your back
That says I don't mind if you kick me, seems like everybody has
Things go from bad to worse
You think it can't get worse than that
And then they do

- If You're Going Through Hell - Rodney Atkins

So this song came on my iPod and it kinda hit me. We all have those days where we get kicked around and everything goes wrong. But you have to just keep going. You can't stop in the middle and wait. You have to push through and look forward to the good in life. 

Super poignant lyrics for the first day. I don't think it'll always be this way, but I'm excited to see which song strikes me next :).

Go BIG VALLEY JAMBOREE!! :).

-M. 

Get 'Carrie'd Away!

So I went to a live show on Saturday!!

Carrie Underwood and Hunter Hayes! :)

Had an awesome time! Perfect seats, even though we were on the other side of the arena, we had a straight view to the stage. No craning one's neck or stretching to see over anyone! :).

Hunter was a youthful, energetic, chatty opener, which was nice. I like when they talk to the crowd and interact with the fans. He did his job and played the four songs that I was familiar with. 'Wanted', 'Somebody's Heartbreak', 'I Want Crazy', and 'Storm Warning'. I would recommend all of these songs!

We had the obligatory break between acts which lasted about 30 minutes.

Then it was time for Carrie! She opened with 'Good Girl' and a great pink/fuschia dress. Looked stunning as she always does! I loved that she played her old hits like 'Jesus, Take the Wheel', 'Before He Cheats', and 'Flat on the Floor'. She also sang quite a few new numbers from her 'Blown Away' album, which the tour was named after. The image of gigantic beach balls being tossed around the fans on the floor while Carrie sang, 'One Way Ticket' which has a very beachy feel to it. Highlights as well? A random visit from Hunter Hayes on Carrie's 'Leave Love Alone', which was a surprise but a very cool duet, because it was Hunter's last night on tour! As well a video duet with Brad Paisley during their song 'Remind Me'. It was a cool visual because Brad could not be in every live event.

Fun addition? Goats 'screaming' during Hunter Hayes first song as a joke on the side view screens.

Loved being able to spend it with my cousin Diana as well. We were dancing in our seats, laughing at the goats and yelping out our favorite tunes. I may have left with only half a voice that night! It also helped to have her because of the sketchy parking situation we were in; Diana knows what I mean.

Overall, a great show and a great voice in both artists. Love watching Carrie live because of how she came up in the business and her talent was what got her to where she is today :).

Can't wait to see which show I go to next!

-M.

Lady A's 'Golden'

First Impression of Lady Antebellum’s New Album ‘Golden’

1. Get To Me - Good opening song. Very classic country. Has a message of longing and love lost. Love Hilary’s voice as always. Not an overly special song, but a good opener.

2. Goodbye Town - This song is an example of one of the reasons that I think that Lady A is so popular. The combination of both male and female vocals is just stunning. This song is definitely relatable for anyone who has grown up in a small town. We all unfortunately have our ‘goodbye towns’. Everyone leaves after a while. 

3. Nothin’ Like the First Time - Beautiful, soulful vocals on this song. Every remembers the firsts that they’ve had. Has a soft, velvety feel to it. 

4. Downtown - The first single off of this album, this is a perfect song to start introducing people to this album. Very upbeat, very fresh and a great summer song. I’ve the had the opportunity to be driving in the city, sun shining, with the windows down and this song comes on and it makes the experience just that much more magical.

5. Better Off Now (That You’re Gone) - An upbeat song about sticking it to an ex and saying that life is better that they are not in it. I could see this becoming an anthem for some following a bad end to a relationship. 

6. It Ain’t Pretty - A slower song, about heartbreak. Definitely a drive your car in the rain,  cry a few tears and smack the steering wheel when you are safely parked. I would call this a ‘thinking’ song. One where you drive or sit and listen to a slow song and kind of drift off into your own thoughts.

7. Can’t Stand the Rain - Very sweet song about finding love in a friend. When life’s storms get you down you find a friend when you can’t stand the rain - love those words. Makes my heart smile. Love the love in this song. 

8. Golden - Title track of the album. Feeling a lot of romance and love on this album. This song does not go against that. Definitely an ode to a love. Such a simple word to describe so much in a person. 

9. Long Teenage Goodbye - Love the twang that starts this song. This is one of the songs that make me love country music. I love the ‘story songs’. The ones where they paint a scene with lyrics and you can imagine yourself there and how you would feel. Plus having past my teenage years, I can relate to this song. Just gotta embrace those summer nights and not worry about tomorrow.

10. All For Love - This song hits hard, well the first bit anyway. Having gone through a breakup when I was told that I was everything that person needed and then being let go was super hard. I do like the multiple perspectives of this song, but the first part made me almost tear up and get upset because of how frustrating it is. Very good song. Probably my favorite tied with Downtown. Very personally connected.

11. Better Man - The perks of having a group that has both male and female lead vocals. You can have songs like this where it’s from a male view. Also, the female background adds a softness to it. 

12. Generation Away - Sounds kind of a tropical start. Like this upbeat ending to the album. I absolutely loathe when artists load all of their slow songs in the last 3-4 songs. They get skipped from me! This is a fun ending and will keep me coming back for more! Good job Lady A!

Peace and Quiet

There is something extremely calming about coming into work early on a weekend. No one is around, the office is your personal space. You can have free run of the place.

There is just a peace about being in a space where there is normally so much activity, but when you come in on weekends, it's mostly gone and you can just focus on your task.

I'm feeling super creative lately and love all of the outlets that I have; blogging, youtube, Instagram, just general creativity!

This quiet allows me to manifest these ideas and actually create things!

Now of course, I love sleeping in, and won't fool myself into thinking that I'll always get up early to enjoy these moments, but when they randomly pop up, I'll embrace them and use them to my full advantage.

P.S. - of course it helps that I get to play any music I want and no one cares because no one is here!! Currently playing? Long Hot Summer by Keith Urban...ahh perfect song ;).

-M.

Happy Friday!!!

Hope you all have a great Friday!

Put on some upbeat music, dance around your job, even if you work in a warehouse ;), smile, say thank you, and plan at least one fun thing this weekend!

Love y'all!

-Marie.

Beauty Sleep...

It's funny how much of a benefit that a good night's rest can be.

After having a rough end to the day yesterday, and partially driving home in tears, I took note of my condition.

Not only was I tired from the day, but I hadn't slept well the night before.

I was totally overly sensitive because of my lack of sleep!

Cure for this ailment: NAPS!!

I love naps, and I really think they are crucial.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: You can't be your best tomorrow if you don't take care of yourself today!

You are allowed to nap!

How do I know this?

I woke up this morning, had a shower and have so far had a great day! Productive, peppy and super pumped to workout!! Woot!!

It's funny. Everyone laughs at me because I nap so much, but why do you think I'm so optimistic and happy? Because I know I get to sleep when I want to!!

Wishing you restful nights and fabulous days :)

-M.

Things I Love.

A few random loves in my life:

- Emrey :) she's beautiful.

- weekends spent with my family and friends

- childhood songs to wake me up in the morning

- goals that are attainable

- planning for success

- coloring and drawing with chalk with a four year old

- chalk in general :)

- warm evenings

- good books

- great sleeps.

Love y'all

-M.

It's a New Day for Shining Your Shoes..

Yes it's a good day for singing the blues..

Um..might have gotten that song wrong, but the overall theme is right :)

IT'S A NEW DAY!

And it's the first of the month which I love!!

So many opportunities for May, it's fresh, it's new and it's lovely.

Quick blog post, no real theme other than to say:

IT'S A NEW MAY DAY!!

and i'm giving myself a secret challenge to blog every day..

hmm just made that up?

Do you ever do that?

Give yourself mini challenges/goals/to-do lists?

I think it's super fun to do them with yourself because then you are accountable to only you...which is who you should really only be accountable to anyway :).

Yay!! Challenge offered...

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!

BOO-YA :)

Love y'all.

-M.