We see you.

I'm going to take a little bit of time in this next post to talk about the performers.

Yes, I know, I'm skipping all over the place. Whatever. Let's roll with it, here.

So the weird thing about the concert was that Eric Church’s fan club members, the Church Choir, did not have seats directly by the stage.

Those seats were reserved for rodeo sponsors. That’s fine, and money and rodeo sponsors talk, but those people were not die-hard fans like the rest of us.

It didn’t take Eric long to spot us, the Church Choir, over to the side of the stage.

He gave us attention the whole night.

In the photo above, he was singing "Some of It," which is always a favorite of mine. He looked right at us, the Choir, and smiled.

He acknowledged us all right, from the flag the people in front of me were flying to the records we held up during the song Record Year.

(His words: "I see you. I can't get to you. But I see you.")

We see you too, Eric.

We see you.

The seating situation was kind of lame, and something that I've never encountered at one of his concerts ever before.

But the weather was beautiful, that big Wyoming sky was the backdrop, and I had a really good time going to a rodeo that's better than my hometown's rodeo.

Overall, it was solid.

Solid.

Plus, we got this update on his social media accounts after the show.

I think he liked us.

:)

---

This is the first time I saw Ashley McBryde perform, and I loved every minute of her.

My only complaint is that the show should have started sooner so she could play longer.

She talked a lot during her set, which I liked a lot.

She thanked the people in the crowd for bringing kids to the show. In her words: "If kids never stand there (in the crowd), they'll never stand here (on the stage)."

:)

She also said that the fans don't show up because the artist shows up, the artists show up because the fans show up.

She has a point there.

Overall, I'd give her a 10/10.

I appreciate a good cheatin' song, I appreciate a good 'find yourself' song, and I appreciate a song about killing someone (it ain't murder if I bury you alive, Martha Divine).

She's also solid. Plus, it was her birthday that day.

Thanks for working on your birthday, Ashley. It was pretty badass.

Dallas

 The second thing we need to talk about is Dallas, Texas.

While I was driving to the concert in Durant, I got a call from someone I had been working closely with. That person asked me what my plans for the weekend were, and when I was coming back to town.

I told them I was coming back to town on Saturday. That person encouraged me to stay an extra day, and take some time to enjoy myself and forget about the stress of life.

When I woke up Saturday morning, I wasn't totally sure where the day was going to take me. Dallas was 90 minutes away and Oklahoma City was a little further away.

I love me some Oklahoma City. I love love love love love that city.

But I've been there tons of times, I lived there for a summer in college, and maybe it's time to start making some new memories somewhere else.

I gassed up my car and headed 90 minutes south to Dallas.

And Dallas was very, very people-y. 

I loved every minute of it.

My favorite part of traveling by myself is that you don't really need to make plans. Just go with the flow, and allow whatever happens to just happen.

I first hit the Galleria, where I used to go ice skating as a kid. 

And let me just say that while I remember the place from 20 years ago, I had no idea it was that high class. As in, I know what all of those brands are now and I know how much they cost.

There wasn't a whole lot in that huge, massive mall that I could relate to. I went to the one store I felt comfortable in (Old Navy), and I stopped and got a pedicure on my way out.

That was a very good decision. 

There's not many words in the world to describe the feeling of getting your feet worked on (which was way overdue), after having seen your favorite artist live, after your house that you lived in for six years and LOVED TO DEATH finally sold to a good family, and after all of the pieces in your life just finally start to fall where they should be.

Dallas was a fun time. Also, it's huge. HUGE! 

It seemed like I spent all damn day driving, and I never even left the Dallas metro area.

I stopped and ate at a little Italian place I found along the way. It was one of the better meals I've had in my life. (Doesn't top Austin, though. In other news, Texas has really good food.)

Growing up, my parents always took my brother and I to Oklahoma City and Dallas for vacation. (We didn't go to Kansas City much at all, which makes us totally stand out and weird from every other western Kansas citizen ever.)

OKC and Dallas are my childhood. The entire trip was very nostalgic and sentimental to me.

I finally reached a place in my life where I could go to.both places and not worry about much else in the universe. (Ha, ha. That's really funny now.)

Dallas was a good time. Good city, good food, a little too many lanes of traffic for my liking, but I felt safe the entire time and had a lot of fun there. 

I'll be back sometime in the near future, for sure, Dallas.

Also, I'm terrified of heights. Glass elevators and big giant malls that are like 18 stories high aren't my favorite thing in the history of ever.

On Jedis and truck stops.

This is going to be nerdy, so please be patient.

The only thing that I really know about Star Wars is that I don't like any of the movies. The Last Jedi was pretty, and I can appreciate that, but that's where my appreciation for all things Star Wars ends.

Anyway, I remember watching Episode 1: The Phantom Menace back in the day in the theater with friends. If I remember right, there had to be some reason I went to that movie. I'm guessing it had to do with a boy band and TRL on MTV.

(God, I'm old.)

Anyway, while on this weekend road trip with my friend friend, he had probably the best description of a Star Wars movie I've ever heard.

First, let's see what Dr. Google says about Episode 1:

When the Trade Federation cuts off all routes to the planet Naboo, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are assigned to settle the matter.

My friend friend has a point: The entire premise of the movie is that these Jedis can't get off of a planet.

In his words: "It's like SEAL Team Six being stuck at a truck stop."

Me: "Maybe they locked their keys in their car. Or maybe their car got stolen."

His words: "You're SEAL Team Six. Call a Black Hawk."

I hate losing arguments, but I have to give him this one.

He's not wrong.

Rainy trip.

Circa 2014 - This is not a thing I will ever figure out.

For some reason, my mind is taking me back to the blog posts I wrote after attending South By Southwest in Austin in 2014.

So, here's a throwback post.

--

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Geek Central.

I love writing. I love things that make me laugh. When those two things combine, my little mind explodes of The Awesome and I just can't handle it anymore.

That happened to me today.

I got to hear Seth Meyers speak today at SXSW. For a little more than an hour, I basked in the happiness of the conversation that included comedy, writing, failure, the collaborative process, and random other things.

I didn't know what to expect, but I was hoping to hear about his transition from SNL to Late Night. I wasn't disappointed. He did talk about that. But what I wasn't expecting was hearing him speak for an hour on how much he loved writing and how many times he has failed in life.

Background, for those who don't know: Seth was on Saturday Night Live for 12 years before taking over Jimmy Fallon's Late Night (Jimmy Fallon now hosts The Tonight Show. For the record, I'll always like Jimmy Fallon, too, because of his thank-you notes).

I remember watching the last episode of SNL that Seth Meyers was on earlier this year. I remember thinking, "God, it's the end of an era."

I had to wait in line/in the room for a couple of hours to hear him speak. I'm not sorry I did.

Lovingly stolen from the Interwebs.

I didn't write down all of the wonderful quotes he said, I didn't Tweet much, and I didn't even Facebook that much. I sat on the edge of my seat, laughed harder than I've laughed in a long time, and smiled more than I've smiled this year.

Weekend Update has always been my favorite part of SNL. I've always liked Seth Meyers and I always will after hearing him speak.

Some quotes he said:

"When you're young, that's the perfect time to fail."

"This is not a thing I will ever figure out. Perfection is crazy. Improvement is what you want."

"People are like, 'What do you want to do when it's over?' And I'm like, 'Does it ever have to be over?'"

"It's never easy coming up with ideas."

"Giving yourself a deadline is really important."

"My survival will always be as a writer."

Not stolen. I took this photo!

Other things he said:

- An NPR employee asked him what news sources he reads to get material for his show. I was expecting The New York Times and morning talk shows to be his answer. His real answer? Twitter.

- He was hired on SNL as an actor originally, but transitioned into writing. He said he didn't like doing skits, but loved writing skits.

- The last skit he wrote for SNL bombed. He talked about failure quite a bit, which is something I wasn't expecting. I guess everyone fails.

- I can't even explain how funny he is. You can tell he doesn't even have to try. It's just something that's in his personality. He said that even after spending 12 years on the show, there was never one recipe for success. Some things work and some things don't. When they don't, you move on to the next thing that might work and forget about the thing that didn't work.

While waiting in line to hear him speak, we got to see a video of Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson speak to an audience a floor below us.

Um, that was also mind-blowingly amazing.

Background: He's the astrophysicist who demoted Pluto as a planet.

Also stolen from the Interwebs.

What I didn't know: He's so freaking normal it hurts. He doesn't talk down to people who don't understand science and he's willing to explain things in really simple terms.

My Twitter feed exploded with his quotes.

"A scientist is a kid who never grew up."

"If you think the price of college is expensive, try the cost of ignorance."

"This is SXSW Interactive. This is geek central right here."

"You don't want to do an experiment that's longer than your life expectancy..."

"Some lessons need to be learned first-hand."

"There is so much to be impressed with in the universe. Don't be distracted by things that are not impressive."

"One reason we should go into space because you know the dinosaurs would have if they could have."

"Carbon is Jon Stewart's favorite element. It's the slut of the periodic table."

"I wonder if we're smart enough to figure out the universe. We define ourselves as intelligent. But we came up with that test."

"It's the darkest before dawn. No, it's not. It's darkest when the sun is farthest from the horizon."

"Good teachers are first in line for the cloning machine."

"I always tell teachers, be the kind of teacher that teacher was to you."

"Keep letting your kids break stuff. It is a source of curiosity."

"To remain curious is to remain young."

Part 4 - It happens to everyone.

Part four in the Church series is dedicated to all of those times I've watched love walk out of my life.

It happens to everyone.

This song is called Cold One.

I also have a photo from this video framed and sitting on my desk at work.

Man...that was a cold one I never will forget.

I would like to point out that yes, I did take the photos and videos in these posts (unless otherwise noted). Look how close I was!

It was a perfect day for the end of May, they say a record high
I stared at that green water when out of the blue and by surprise
She had her feet up on the cooler as she put our love on ice
She grabbed a beer, said, "I'm out of here, "
And walked out of my life

That was a cold one
I never will get back
Yeah she had to leave, did she have to leave me one beer
Short of a twelve pack?
She left me hanging high and dry in that hell high summer sun
Damn babe, that was a cold one

It ain't the first time, or the last time
I watched love walk out
But it's damn sure the one time
I still ain't forgot about
I still like to drink a beer but a long neck I won't do
'Cause every time I see one sweating, man
I break out in one too

That was a cold one
I never will get back
Yeah she had to leave, did she have to leave me one beer
Short of a twelve pack?
She left me hanging high and dry in that hell high summer sun
Damn babe, that was a cold one

That was a cold one
I never will get back
Yeah she had to leave, did she have to leave me one beer
Short of a twelve pack?
She left me hanging high and dry in that hell high summer sun
Damn babe, that was a cold one

Damn babe, that was a cold one (damn!)

Part 3 - Eric Church just stole my Sharpie.

At the end of the concert, Eric Church hopped down into the audience and started signing autographs.

I do not have the advantage of height, so I could not tell where the hell EFC was in the crowd. Instead of standing on my tippy toes and trying to see (which is absolutely pointless), I stood there in the front row and kept singing and dancing to the song 'Springsteen.'

And then I noticed the spotlight, which I presumed was on Eric Church in the crowd, kept getting closer to me.

And closer.

And then a little bit closer.

OH MY GOD.

I was recording Springsteen, and I stopped recording and put my phone in my pocket. I grabbed my Sharpie and got my Rolling Stone out of my purse. (See the video later in this post, the video I took during Born to Run and Springsteen.)

And then a second later, Eric Church was standing right in front of me. He took my copy of Rolling Stone, looked me right in the eye, did his little Eric Church squeal/howl, then turned the magazine over and autographed it for me.

Before the concert, I thought a lot about what I would say to him if he gave me an autograph. I decided beforehand I would just simply tell him 'thank you.'

I held my magazine out several times for him to sign throughout the concert, but he always walked the other direction.

When Eric Church was finally in front of me, with no one in between us, I could not say anything. No words came out of my mouth.

Instead, I smiled the biggest smile ever. He returned the smile, and then he took my sharpie to sign my concert buddy's boots.

That moment was pure happiness. In my world there was nothing bad going on. Heart break didn't exist and stressful moments were in the rear view mirror.

I punched my concert buddy in the arm.

"Eric Church just stole my Sharpie," I told him.

My concert buddy laughed.

Eric Church can steal my Sharpie whenever he wants to.

As the concert ended, EC told the sold out crowd that his summer had been rough and that he needed tonight. He pointed to the fans in the front row, and said something like "I need this right now. I need you guys during 'Springsteen.'"

The thing is, we need him, too.

A photo I stole online of EC signing autographs during Springsteen.

I needed that moment.

Life is not always pretty. As I walked away from the concert that night, with my signed copy of Rolling Stone in my hand, I silently thanked the events in my life that had led me to this point.

This point — the point that involves being single and going to a concert eight hours away just because I want to — this is the point in my life that I am thankful for.

I'm having a record year.

---

The other cool thing?

As soon as EC started singing the words to Born to Run, my heart started to smile.

I've been listening to this song on repeat over the last couple of weeks.

And I got to hear my favorite artist sing it, AND THEN he signed autographs right after it?

Sigh.

In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream
At night we ride through the mansions of glory in suicide machines
Sprung from cages out on highway nine,
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected, and steppin' out over the line
H-Oh, Baby this town rips the bones from your back
It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we're young
`Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run

Yes, girl we were

Wendy let me in I wanna be your friend
I want to guard your dreams and visions
Just wrap your legs 'round these velvet rims
And strap your hands 'cross my engines
Together we could break this trap
We'll run till we drop, baby we'll never go back
H-Oh, Will you walk with me out on the wire
`Cause baby I'm just a scared and lonely rider
But I gotta know how it feels
I want to know if love is wild
Babe I want to know if love is real

Oh, can you show me

Beyond the Palace hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard
Girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors
And the boys try to look so hard
The amusement park rises bold and stark
Kids are huddled on the beach in a mist
I wanna die with you Wendy on the street tonight
In an everlasting kiss

One, two, three, four

The highway's jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive
Everybody's out on the run tonight
But there's no place left to hide
Together Wendy we can live with the sadness
I'll love you with all the madness in my soul
H-Oh, Someday girl I don't know when
We're gonna get to that place
Where we really wanna go
And we'll walk in the sun
But till then tramps like us
Baby we were born to run

Oh honey, tramps like us
Baby we were born to run

Come on with me, tramps like us
Baby we were born to run

-Born to Run

Bruce Springsteen

Part 2 - A love like that

Part dos of this here blog post is dedicated to the amazing people I met at the Eric Church concert.

I went to this concert solo, and I was really nervous about it. I was nervous about parking in the parking garage, I was nervous about getting lost in the parking garage, and I was nervous about finding the theater in a huge casino.

It turns out I had nothing to be nervous about.

I left my Rolling Stone in the car, so I had to go back and get it. I walked right to my car, so there were no issues getting lost there. (Parking garages and I don't get along.)

Once I picked my spot by the stage, I stood there and listened to other people's conversations. I smiled when they told jokes, but I didn't feel comfortable inserting myself into the conversation.

The couples around me were all recently empty nesters. They did not know each other, so they did their introductions and said how old their kids were and how great life is now that the kids are gone.

Ha.

The couples agreed at this stage in life is the best stage. It's even better than pre-kids, they said, because now they have disposable income that they didn't have before in life.

Three couples, six people, drinking beer and having a great time on a Saturday night...and then there's little lonely Monica, standing there awkwardly not talking to anyone.

The guy beside me nudged me, and asked me if I was ready for some EC.

I said yes.

We struck up a conversation. They are from Idaho and they lost count of how many Eric Church concerts they've been to.

They're going to the show in Oregon next week.

This is what they do on the weekends, they told me. They fly to wherever Eric Church is playing, and they always get pit tickets.

Being in the pit is the key, the man told me.

I told him that I had never been in the pit at an EC concert before.

My new found friend told me that from now on, I'll never sit in the seats again.

He was right.

I appreciate that this couple adopted me at the concert and included me in their circle of people.

They said their kids were 24 and 22, and they were not yet 50 years old.

I saw how close they were and how loving they acted towards each other. I love the fact that they both love concerts and have a blast going to them together.

As the concert ended and I said goodbye to my concert buddies, I thought to myself, man, I hope I find a love like that some day.

Part 1 - Going to Church

If you want to know how my adult life is going, here is a pretty good example.

About a month ago, I worked pretty hard all night. I bragged to people that I adulted successfully.

I got my tires replaced, fixed the AC in my car, replaced the tail lights and replaced the windshield wipers.

I was especially proud of the windshield wipers. I put them on myself after YouTubing the directions.

When I booked this Eric Church road trip to Oklahoma/Texas, I was pretty confident about my car.

When I was returning from my trip, I was driving north of Oklahoma City in pouring rain on the interstate.

My car was running perfect. I had just gone to Church, and I was in a fantastic mood.

As I was driving 70ish miles an hour down the road, my windshield wiper blades flew off my car.

My first two thoughts were:

• Well that was 40 bucks well spent. 
• This is the definition of adulthood. 

I stopped in Wichita on the way back to buy new windshield wiper blades, and this time I asked the guy at the car shop to put them on.

Live and learn, people. Sometimes lessons are learned the hard way.

(If you're wondering what I did on the interstate in the pouring rain with no wipers, I kept on driving. It seemed like the safest thing to do.)

This happened at the end of the trip. Why am I starting off this here blog post with the end?

To quote my favorite book, The Five People You Meet in Heaven:

It might seem strange to start a story with an ending. But all endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time.

These boots.

Pit.

Ps, I have no idea how many parts will be in this series of blog posts. I'm making this up as I go along, as I do with most other things in life.

Part 6: The end

For the seven months leading up to this concert, I told myself one thing.

During the song Record Year, I was not going to look at my phone. I would not take photos, and I wouldn't video it.

At a certain point, you need to put your phone down and appreciate what's happening right in front of your face.

The song came towards the end of the concert. After the first few opening notes were played, my Mom nudged me.

"It's Record Year!"

Oh.

My.

Gawd.

You guys, that song was even better than I imagined it would be. Every single chord and every single lyric were perfect.

And when I say perfect, I mean it.

Perfect.

Listening to that song live is almost worth having your heart crushed into a million little pieces.

Well...almost.

I listened to this album when I first bought my house. I listened to it when I was crying over someone who wasn't worth it. I listened to it over and over again, until I learned every word of every song.

I love this album probably more than I've loved any other album, ever.

Because, you know, I've been having a record year.

Since you turned the tables on me
I've been steady and learnin' lonely
Keepin' this turntable spinnin'
Everything from Jones to Jennings
Slowly plannin' my survival
In a three foot stack of vinyl
Since you had to walk on outta here
I've been havin' a record year

I bet you thought before you left
I'd just sit in silence by myself
Turn this house into a jail
Dyin' slow in a livin' hell
But love's got a funny way of keepin' score
And your leavin' lit up my scoreboard
I usually make it through side a sober
All bets are off when I flip her over
One bourbon, one scotch, one beer
I'm havin' a record year

Quarter notes and Hank's half time
Are poundin' on this heart of mine
Song to song, I pass my time
With these speakers on ten
Your good and gone keeps me up all night
Along with Songs In The Key Of Life
I'm either gonna get over you
Or I'm gonna blow out my ears
Yeah, you're out there now
Doin' God knows how, and I'm stuck here
Havin' a record year

Your leavin' left me goin' crazy
I'm countin' on a needle to save me
I drop it in the groove
And we go 'round and 'round
And down in a spiral
I guess I really oughta call and thank you
I rediscovered Red Headed Stranger
Got down with old James Brown
And found New Grass Revival
If you find your way back, I owe you a beer
For my record year

Quarter notes and Hank's half time
Are poundin' on this heart of mine
Song to song, I pass my time
With these speakers on ten
Your good and gone keeps me up all night
Along with Songs In The Key Of Life
I'm either gonna get over you
Or I'm gonna blow out my ears
Yeah, you're out there now
Doin' God knows how, and I'm stuck here
Havin' a record year

Yeah, I'm havin' a record year