2013

So, everyone has already reflected on 2013, except me, leave it to me to be behind on doing so.
So...as I am figuring out what I hope for in 2014.
Here's my look back at last year. It's not as put together as I'd like, but it's been sitting long enough.

I can't complain too much about last year. I think I still have quite a bit of soul searching to do.
I did my best to be as happy as I could. With a few exceptions, I feel like I did that pretty well. Of course, this is me we're talking about so I always think I could have done better at it.
I didn't have very much drama, or at least none that really, really sticks out.
My cousin and I quit talking for a bit, but that's been over.
I did get to take one weekender earlier in the year and was able to see my best friend which is always much needed.
We lost my Great Aunt in August and that was devastating. I hadn't seen her in a while, and that's my fault but she has always held a special place in my heart. Growing up, she was our neighbor so for the first 10 years of my life, I saw her almost every day.
We also lost my mother in law's dog, Rufus. I'm still not ever that either. She has two new dogs now who are as cute as can be, but I miss Rufus. I miss his presence.
Oh Gah, and then there's the tornado that wailed through my neighborhood and then some. Freaked my ass out because I opened my door right at it was touching down. Me & bad storms are a no-go. Scary shit.
I took my first solo trip, or I should say I traveled solo for the first time! Still proud of myself for that one. It was about 5 hours away.
I was able to squeeze in a handful of concerts, always fun stuff.
I know I mentioned that we met Aaron Murray, we they finally posted the pictures. It'll be below. I'm still so happy to have met him. He's awesome. Truly. As a player and a person. He was just so damn nice.
So, yea,..there were some good, bad, happy and sad times. So, instead of dragging it out too much more, I'll just hit you with the highlights.

*Doug & I celebrated 10 years together (2 years married). I'm so happy about that.
*I got to take a solo trip to Savannah to meet up and spend the weekend with my bestest.
*I turned 25 and made a 30 before 30. (That I really hope I can make some progress on in 2014.)
*Went to see The Harlem Globetrotters for the first time. So fun.
*Got to go to the first ever concert at Sanford Stadium to see some of the hottest men in country music.
*Doug took me to the Zoo! [See also: I'm still a huge kid]
*My Daddy got a Gator and a 10 pointer. I'm always excited for him. :)
*That being said. Hubs also got his first deer this year, a doe. And thennn, he even got his first buck and wall hanger. A 7 pointer with a unique set of antlers. lol
*FH got signed to a new label!
*I was a runner up in a pumpkin carving contest for Fall Out Boy. I won a free poster. :-D
*I got to meet Aaron Murray!
*And of course all the concerts I went to
  -Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Jake Owen and Thomas Rhett. (That was the concert at UGA) Uhh-mazing.
  -Framing Hanley! :-) Always makes my heart smile to see my boys.
  -One Direction. Kiss my ass, I LOVED IT! :-p
  -Justin Bieber for the 2nd time.
  -Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco & Twenty One Pilots. Ahhmazingggg.
  - Radford Windham & Step Back Cadillac & Coal Mountain Band (hometown bands)
  -Colbie Caillat, Avril Lavinge, The Fray, The Goo Goo Dolls & The Backstreet Boy. (!!!)

All photos are mine except for the FOB one. Credit.

As the year came to a close I was able to look back on all the up and even the downs and see how blessed I am to be able to do the things I do, have all that I have, and be able to love as much as I do and be loved as much as I am. And that's a great thing.♥

I could have put together a much better post, but I'm still not 100% in the swing of things as far as blogging, but I'll get there! :-) Thanks for bearing with me!

♥♥♥
Brandy

Christmas and NYE

It's okay to recap these days/weeks later, yes? No? Oh well, I am.

Nothing major to say.
I procrastinated way too much and really did end up doing a bulk amount of shopping the day before Christmas Eve. Remind me not to do that again.
And I had to force myself to do that because I had already been in bed sick for a couple of days and ughh.

But, as always, Christmas was great.
We have about 4-5 places we have to go for Holidays.
We made it to all except one. And I am still feeling bad about that. Maybe after I'm completely better we can go see his Grandma.
Christmas Eve was spent stopping by my Granny & PawPaws then heading to Dougs Nana and Pops for the rest of the evening for White Elephant. It's always a good time when that family gets together. We spent the night at my mother-in-laws on Christmas Eve and woke up and did Christmas there as we have done pretty much since we've been together. And then it was back home to do Christmas with my family.
The kids both had a good mound of gift and I would say everyone else was pretty spoiled as well.
By that I mean, pretty much everyone got what they wanted.

I got some crafty stuff, some movies, a CD, some camis, some combat boots and a few other things. :-)
My big ticket item was a new bed set from Doug.
We've never had a full bed set, ever.
It's always been sheets sets and a top blanket.
So to have new everything, that all goes together, is lovely.
And it's camo. He did good.
I was looking at and had actually written down just some sheets,
but he took it a step further and got an entire set.
And I love it. It's so nice sleeping on it.
It's so nice to feel lost in a sea of covers.


It's not every lady's cup of tea, but it's mine. And it's the right kind of camo.
Mossy Oak girl, right here.

Boomer & Cody's first Christmas
(or I think it's Cody's first..it's his first in a home at least). Kids opening gifts, playing Dr. & My honey & Me

And that's the short and sweet version.
Haha.

NYE was great but could have been better. I was hit with round two of being sick and it hit me hard.
But let me play out December 31st for you.
Wake up, get ready to take mom to the dr (because she has also gotten sick--thanks to me I'm sure.), then from the dr. to get her meds & pay house payment (aka drive from one county to the other.)
Then get home, have to BACK to town to get Carla & her son. Then we have to go to another county to return a gift or two for her and for me to go to the store I got my ring from for it's inspection/cleaning that has to be done every 6 mos... Get to jewelry store & they have to send it off for repair, one of the prongs is bent. I'm a very paranoid person, I hate doing stuff like that, I don't trust people. But, of course, I have to do it or they can't sign off & then my warranty will void. I mean I get it & I'd rather not just let it go and end up losing a diamond. I have a great warranty so I might as well let them take care of me/my ring. Thanks, Zales. I'm just always paranoid of getting my ring back with fake diamonds. lol
So, by now I've been in a car since about 8:30 or 9, have been to 3 different counties and have only gotten out about 4 times. And am now ringless.
Onto our next stop to exchange gifts and pick up some food.
Stop, let me back up for a second. My second time going to town to pick Carla up, as we were leaving town there was a bag of trash on the edge of the road & you could see like a plastic cup and some paper in the road from where it had tore open. Instead of getting in the other lane, I decide I'll just straddle it and go on. Last minute, I mean right as I was going over it I saw glistens...from light reflecting, and of course you can hear the same sound you would hear when you run over a little gravel. I said that, "better not have been glass." Fast forward and we get in walmart and I have to get everything on moms list + everything that Carla & I need/want...in other words we had a buggy full and about 80% of it was food. Get outside, flat tire, and you could see the chuck in glass lodged in it. Luckily I carry a portable pump, so I pumped it up and just prayed it would get us to my house, which is about a 15-20 minute drive away. It did. Thank God. So, get home and it's about 4 or 5, I don't remember. So we have to start making jello shots. Then making food. By this time I have a headache starting. Ugh. SO...about 9 we finally get to let loose and try enjoying the night. She bought a game for us to play and so me, her, Doug & our other friend sat around and tried playing it. Instead of taking something for my headache earlier I decided to just hope it would go away. I'm not one for mixing meds with booze. So, by about 10 or so I'm miserable but trying to not show it. Seriously the whole night I had like a beer and 1/2 and like 2 jello shots, I just was not feeling it. We played the game and only got through a round and a half before it was almost time for the peach (& ball) to drop. I was so ready. What a cruddy last say of 2013. Ugh! We got her son and my nephew down to the living room and everyone was rowdy ringing in the New Year, we hollered inside & then went outside and yelled and screamed & listen to gunshots & fireworks. THEN, we ended up with 2 strays on our front porch, a gorgeous blue tick & a pitbull/dalmation mix. They were sooo cute & so scared, they had ran off from all the loud noises. Poor babies. We found the owner to one they lived in our neighborhood & they stopped by on their way home and got it. The other, the blue tick, was still at the house. I went to bed around four and she was curled up on the porch sleeping and shaking. My mom & brother covered her up with some old sheets we had & she stayed a while longer and then a couple hours later she was gone. So I'm really hoping she calmed down enough to be able to find her way back home. Both had collar, but neither had tags. It was annoying. :-/ We
But yea, woke up the next day still filling miserable, of course by now I'm full blown sick-again. But ready for New Year Days grub. And it was scrumptious. Collards, black eyed peas, chicken, and cornbread. (and hot wing and sauerkraut-but I don't eat those). We spent ALL.DAY in pjs and didn't move from our spots on the couch except for eating and peeing. lol We also got to ring in 2014 by watching my Bulldogs play. Unfortunately they lost, but I still love them regardless. Once a Dawg, always a Dawg.
Even though the last day of 2013 was a bit of a doozy, NYE was still pretty enjoyable and nice and low-key. I only took a few pics, so total picture fail for me. But that's okay.
Let me paint a picture, it was a pajama party. Everyone wore PJs and Carla and I, and Shaneu, sported onsies. You can see mine & C's on my InstaG here.

Now I just need a new tire (it's plugged and doing good for now, but again, I'm paranoid-lol), and I can't wait to get my rings back, I feel so naked without them.

Even though we are 6 days in already, I wanna say Happy New Year to everyone!
Sorry I talked you ear off, but would expect anything less from me. ;-)
Now I have to work out my 2013 recap. O.O

Lovins & stuff.
♥♥♥
Brandy

Star 94 Jingle Jam 2013

Finally gonna rave about Jingle Jam that I went to 2 weeks ago.
I went to the Star 94 Jingle Jam again this year and it was pretty damn amazing, if I do say so myself.
If you've been around these parts, you may remember my post raving about it last year. I was SO excited to be seeing Ed Sheeran, and the other artists that were there were all amazing as well. Jason Mraz? Duh! Andy Grammer, Alex Clare, Grace Potter & Phillip Phillips? All amazing. You can read it here if you'd like.
This year, I decided I wanted to go again, depending on the line-up -of course.
It felt like it took FOREVER for them to announce the line-up and I remember when they did.
I was driving home from running errands, patience at an all time low with idiots on the road & I was listening to the station that puts on the show & all of a sudden there it was, "Star 94 Jingle Jam, featuring *plays music*" It confused me at first because I thought, "why the hell would you start an announcement and then cut it off half way through to play a song?" Then it dawned on me, that's who was going to be playing! Well, one of the artists anyway. And that artist/band alone was enough for me to say yes. I called Doug immediately, I'm talking as soon as the announcement stopped, and told him I'd be buying 2 tickets to this show AS SOON as they go on sale. And I did. And I even bought FLOOR seats, a first for me in a "bigger" concert. And boy was is worth it! And luckily Carla went with me (and had just as much fun as I did.) ;-)
I'm honestly still kind of pinching myself.
The line-up? Colbie Caillat, Avril Lavinge, The Fray, The Goo Goo Dolls,...and...The BACKSTREET BOYS.
Never in my life did I think I would be able to see them live. Ever. Same with the Goo Goo Dolls. Like, what? I think I knew them even before BSB.
Let me just start from the beginning.
They show was on December 16th.
We got there early, because I'd rather sit in the parking lot & wait than to be stuck in traffic.
Found our seats fairly easy & was blown away at how close they were. Definitely closer than I thought, and I am not complaining.
I feel like it was a good build up of artists. Started out slower with Colbie & ended with the big finisher BSB. Every artist in between built up the energy more and more. With a snag or two.
Colbie Callait was actually great. I like her music. I feel like some people don't because all or most of her music is more mellow and slow/soft, but I like it. It's good, chill music. So I think she was a great opener. And she seems just as chill as you would imagine in person.
Avril. So, you know Avril Lavigne, right? Pop-punk princess. Rebellious type of attitude/image and all? I didn't get that vibe out of her performance at all. She wasn't awful, but I honestly expected more from her just based on her music and such. I didn't fully get that punky attitude that you'd expect. I don't fully know how to explain it. Regardless, I still sang along. I was just a little sad at how it ended up sounding.
The Fray. They...are...amazing! Not even exaggerating in the slightest. If you ever get the chance to see them, I would take it. I like their music anyway so I was okay with them being in the line-up, but there was a small part of me that thought someone else could have went there. BUT, let me tell you, they fit RIGHT in. Isaac puts me in mind of someone from the 90's and I cannot for the life of me think of who it is by name right now. He's got kind of a nasal-y crackly voice and I loved it. He even walked out in the audience (he stopped about a row in front of me) and stood up in a chair and sang. Then he sang on top of his piano. They have great stage presence & the entire band in amazing. I know that they lead singer always get's raved about, but it has to be said that they whole band was great. 200% pleasantly surprised by them. Love it.
Goo Goo Dolls. I mean a dream come true for anyone old enough to appreciate 90's music, right? Duh! It doesn't even matter that they were the oldest artist/band in the line-up, they were amazing. And getting to hear some of your favorite songs from years ago, live, is just amazing itself. But unfortunately this is were the snag came in. They had a 30 minute set and they ended, of course, with their major hit "Iris". Holy excitement! Well, about halfway through the song, Avril comes out and decides she want to sing with "one of her idols" -as she said-, SHE. DIDN'T. KNOW. THE. WORDS. She fumbled the song, wasn't singing the right line in the right place, and just kind of seemed like a space cadet. The just when you think she's going to leave the stage to they can finish the song properly, she doesn't. She just continues to butcher it. I sat down. I couldn't take it. I know it's probably rude to kick someone off the stage when they want to come out and accompany you in singing, I mean it should be flattering right? But Johnny so should have booted her somehow. I don't know. I was sad about it though. So was Carla, and so were the people behind us. It just one of those things. I don't know....I was embarrassed for her. I actually hope she was drunk.
Backstreet Boys. I'm seriously so excited I got to see them live. I cannot express that enough. I'm also glad it was in the venue it was in, cause even though it's an arena, it's a smaller one. And you know what? They are ahh-mazing. I'm not kidding. For them to be a 90's boy band, all grown up and having gone through some of they things they have and just life in general, they are amazing. I'd totally pay to see them again. I also recommend if you like or liked them that you go see them. Not only will they make your preteen/teen dreams come true by singing some oldies, their new stuff is good as well. They did I don't remember the exact set list, but it was a mix of new and old & they threw in a Christmas song so there were only a few songs I didn't really know. The rest of them I belted out at the top of my lungs while trying to contain myself just a bit. Haha.
Overall it was an amazing show, very well worth the money. Such a fun experience. Star94Atlanta did great again with putting together a great show as well as getting together a great line-up. Even though I wasn't fully happy about Avril, I'd still recommend seeing her, especially if you're a fan. I was happy to see her because I have liked a lot/most of stuff she's put out since the beginning so seeing her for that alone was good. That's just one of the risks of a concert, you have to know that there is a possibility that they won't sound the same. But everyone else sounded as they do on radio/album if not better.
Also, there was a photographer there that was walking around taking pictures of the show and the audience. He stopped and took pictures of Carla and I a couple of times. I do not know who he was taking pictures for but I would surely appreciate finding him so I can see those pictures because I feel like I look ridiculous because we were kind of having a blast! lol. Leave it to me to throw in comments about the photographers. I just want to do it. Star 94 should get an extra photo pass and let me try it out. I would love to shoot a concert with my Rebel as opposed to my P&S. Maybe one day.
Anyway, here are photos & videos!
Photos are mine, videos are not. Sources will be below. :-)

BSB- I Want It That Way

source

 

BSB- Everbody

Source

 

The Fray- How To Save A Life (long)

Source

 

The Fray- Over My Head (Cable Car)

source

 



I'm not going to post the Iris video,...but you can watch it here.
And if you want to see any other performances just look up "Star94 Jingle Jam 2013" in YouTube.
:-)

Lovins
♥♥♥
Brandy

I still can't believe I saw AJ & Nick & Brian & Kevin & Howie live. LIVE. Mind Blown.