Have you seen Jane?

I just never know how a week is gonna shake out. Will I fall into my hermit habits or get ants in my pants? Will the week seem to fly by or will it move slower than molasses in an arctic tundra?

The week involved all scenarios. My time at work was ridiculously slow, almost as if someone kept setting the clocks backwards throughout the day. Thankfully it wasn't overly stressful and led me to an ants in the pant evening of popping in on my brother and Laura.

I even got my own pop-in this week, or maybe the Iadipaolo's just brought the kiddos by to say hi to Sparky (that's at least what he thought). He was so excited, I thought he might explode (someday I might not be astounded by his enthusiasm.) It was quite nice to collect some hugs that evening.

I had a few lunches out with friends. You'd think that would help the day fly by, but it just led to me wanting to stay outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. Even though the lunches are always to short, it's so very nice to catch up with Theresa and Stephanie.

The weekend started with seeing Moulin Rouge on the big screen with Laura. Such a great idea Laura came up with. Definitely a fantastic movie to see on the Giant Screen at the Riverfront Museum. Afterwards we caught up with Tom for some sushi at Happy Fish. The three of us left happy, happy, happy.

Today was a nice relaxing day where I did not turn my brain on. I headed over to Emack & Bolio's to attend Naomi and her husband's going away ice cream social. Probably would have helped if I had noted which location the gathering was at. I'm still shaking my head about that one. So great to see them before they make the official move to North Dakota.

Wish I had tallied the number of hugs I got this week, There would have been a huge spike in the line graph! 

McLean County Fair with Mom

Yes, yes I talked Mom into going to an outdoor concert, at a fair, in August!!! How did I accomplish this? Well, not only does she like spending time with me, but she has become a fan of Kristian Bush's music. Since his show was cancelled last month in Watseka, Mom agreed to join me for the chance to see him at the McLean County Fair Grandstand.

I joined the KB street team to try to make more Peorians aware of this upcoming performance and hopefully seek out his music. I was armed with posters and small flyers and hit many an establishment in Peoria and a few of the surrounding towns. If only I had gotten them sooner and wasn't sick, then I would have had him plastered far and wide given the extra time and energy.

With the Watseka concert being cancelled, Kristian so kindly granted anyone with a ticket a meet and greet at this Bloomington show, if they were able to to attend. I could have taken advantage of this, but instead had our 2 VIP passes from Watseka transferred over. Not only did we get a meet and greet, but we got signed photos and KB laminates.

Mom and I were first in line to meet him. Here he is signing a pic for Mom. I had already had my moment with him.

Being the dork that I am, I felt the need to give him a thank you present for guitar pics I've received over the last couple years and especially the involvement he had in making CMA Fest 2015 unforgettable for me. KB has been using a hashtag on Twitter this year that always brings a smile to my face, #FansMatter. Knowing his love for hats... well, you'll see the result in the pic below.

After a magical meet and greet, Mom and I walked the fair a bit, found some kettle corn and lemon shake ups, and then picked out a primo seat form Mom in the stands. She was just off center stage with an eagle's eye view and sweet breeze to boot. She's at the top in red, waving at me.

This pic was taken by the gals that photographed the meet and greet. I'd venture to say that Kristian is giving a young fan a pic before he takes the stage. Please note his wardrobe change shoved in his back pocket. Nope, not the hat I gave him, but a kickass CMA hat I haven't been able to find anywhere (or it was possibly a Buck Owens hat).

My plan was to watch the show from the floor and then head up to sit with Mom for the rest of the show after KB and the band played Southern Gravity, my favorite song and title song of his debut solo album. Giving it Up and Trailer Hitch are close seconds from his album. Below is a bit of Trailer Hitch with a few sweet moves that bring a smile to my face.

Another song off his album is Sending You a Sunset. I couldn't resist talking a photo at sunset and tweeting it. As I mentioned before, yes, I am a dork. KB and the band didn't get my memo and played Southern Gravity last, so that meant I abandoned Mom for the whole concert. Not my intention, but it's safe to say she enjoyed the evening just as much as me.

To my surprise, Kristian spent time after the show to meet and greet fans at his merch tent. How frickin' cool is that?!?!? Mom and left with smiles on our faces from a fantastic show, good tunes running through our head, a funnel cake in hand, and then hit the road back to Peoria.

Here's the pic KB put across social media with a thank you for the hat.

And here's the back of the hat, the same view he would have had as I handed it to him.

St. Louis Concert - Kelly Clarkson & Eric Hutchinson

As my 2nd St. Louis concert came near, I was sicker than a dog. I'm not sure what got into me, but I decided to give myself a cold/flu bug for my birthday. My plan to stay and visit with family for the weekend turned into me staying at a hotel Sunday after the concert and driving back the next day.

This concert, Eric Hutchinson and Kelly Clarkson, was my true birthday present to myself. I sprung for tickets in the covered seats, so I wouldn't be in the sun. Yeah, that didn't work out quite as planned and wasn't nearly as close as I had hoped. Yet another lesson learned this summer.

Eric apparently doesn't know how to give himself enough credit. In my book, he is beyond better than good, but then again, it's probably best that he doesn't have a big head. I enjoyed is set as always, but wished I could have been in the pit singing right back at him.

He took the time after his set to meet the fans. I met him a couple years ago, but couldn't resist sharing my happy thoughts about his music with him. A random fact for you, he's a Baltimore Orioles fan. I love the fact that he's a baseball fan and makes music that brings a smile to my face.

Oh yeah, I just remembered some country singing gal named Abi Ann performed first. She had a nice voice, but her songs weren't my cup of tea. Below is the 3rd act, Pentatonix, which I saw on a televised a cappella singing competition a few years ago. I was looking forward to seeing them because I know they are talented, but not being familiar with their music or songs they chose to sing didn't allow me to get lost in their music.

Kelly Clarkson was the last to take the stage. She lived up to my expectations from the last time I saw here and blew them out of the water. I loved the interactions she had with the crowd and her band mates. Her willingness to let them all have their turn in the spotlight was refreshing. Her commentary about almost swallowing bugs while singing was hilarious. Her realness makes me smile.

I don't have many good pictures of Kelly and I wasn't lucky enough to get to have a meet and greet with her. I can still hear her beautiful voice playing through my head. Even being a sick, snotty mess, I stayed through to the very end. I was in no hurry to get going because I purchased an elite parking spot that made it easy to find my car and a quick exit. I look forward to more music from Kelly and seeing her in concert again.