Kenny Chesney Invitation Only

Finally!! My Kenny trip post! It seems like forever since this trip happened!

When I got email that I had been accepted as someone to come to the Invitation Only show I was shocked, and flattered, but mostly shocked. It seemed like one of those things where you send in your information knowing there's no way in hell you're actually going to get picked. Except I got picked! And was crazy enough to rearrange my life for a week in order to attend! There were some rules and a dress code that I had to get a new dress to abide by, but I didn't care. I was seeing Kenny again!

So I got the email on Thursday that I was accepted and then had to frantically search for a dress, rent a car, pack for all of us to go to Hutchinson for Matt's high school reunion and pack for myself to leave from there to drive to Nashville on Sunday.

I picked up my mom (who knows this is insane and is going along anyways...) and we headed east. We got to Marion, IL on Sunday night then drove to Franklin, TN on Monday morning. We got there in just enough time to eat lunch, check out the place I was heading to that night and buy new shoes. Perfect.

When I got to The Factory (where this was being held) there were only about 15 people there. And I was running a few minutes late! Turns out there were less than 100 people attending! I got checked in and got my stamp to be admitted. (Like a groupie stamp instead of a tramp stamp.) You were seated based on looks and what you were wearing basically. They moved everyone around a few times but I scored a spot about 8 feet from Kenny so I was VERY happy.

It took a good hour of set-up before he even came out. It was a good way to get people to interact though because none of us knew anybody there. Kenny came out and sang a few songs with just a back-up guitar (Clayton) and the keyboard (Wyatt). It was a mostly acoustic show and it was amazing to see him so relaxed and happy. We got through all the "set" songs and questions and then repeated a few that he didn't like or the production company didn't like. In the meantime, he told lots of good stories and we all got a chance to chat with him and tell him about ourselves and where we came from. We talked about our favorite concerts, the ones we all remember, our favorite songs, his favorite songs, weird things that we've all seen over the years and just random stuff. Clayton and Wyatt joked around with everyone while Kenny was getting make-up redone and it was just like a bunch of friends sitting down to hang out. They ended up kicking us all out because they had to re-set the stage for the next night. We might have all stayed all night if they'd let us.

It was a once in a lifetime chance that I'm so thankful I was able to have. I've been very fortunate to have seen Kenny 3 times this year during his 'time off' and I know most of his fans weren't that fortunate. I know most people don't get it, but his music and concerts are a big part of my life. Being able to tell him how much I love 'I Go Back' simply because of that Dallas concert where we all stood in the pouring rain with him is something most fans don't get the opportunity to do. We were all able to share our stories of how he has affected our lives and he seemed genuinely touched that he means so much to us. I have a lot of respect for him and what he does and I'll keep going back and doing these crazy things just to be able to experience it all with him and the other fans year after year. Every song I have heard off the new album is fantastic and I think it could possibly be his best yet! I can't wait to be back out there next summer touring the country with Kenny!

First Day of Pre-K!

J was not nearly as cooperative as his sister when it came to taking first day of school pictures. He looks so grown-up and handsome though!

This one just melts my heart. He's such a goof. I love it!

This was actually the least blurry picture I got of him at school. All the other parents were walking in with their kids so I asked if he wanted me to come in with him. The response? "Well not really but I guess you should..." Thanks kid. I appreciate you humoring me on this one.

Now both kids are back to school Monday through Friday! This morning I decided to go run on the trail that's right by J's school and I can't tell you how relaxing it was knowing that our lives are back to normal now. There's just something about the school year and getting up and out the door at the same time every day that makes things run more smoothly in this household. Love it!

Kindergarten!

Today was M's first day of kindergarten! We've been working on choosing an outfit for almost a week now and the only meltdown we had this morning was about shoes. And that's totally normal so I would say getting out the door for our first day of big kid school was a raging success!

My pretty girl...

My pretty girl and her super cool brother...
And partner in crime...
Maybe she's considering if she's going to actually go to school or just run back in the house screaming...
Walking to the bus stop...
Getting on the big bus...
Getting off the bus at school...
Walking down the hall to her classroom...
And we made it!
I'm so proud of her for handling the first day of school so well. I know she was really nervous and overwhelmed and I was worried the transition might not go so smoothly. Luckily, her friend T is there with her to ride the bus, hold her hand and sit by her at school. It really helps to have a buddy there on the first day.

Our only issue might be with snacks. She told me she wouldn't eat her snack today because it was gross but when I asked her later she said it was chocolate and she didn't know if it was ok. I'm glad she is overly cautious about such things but I may have to start sending a snack with her if she's going to worry about it all the time. I'm going to wait it out for a week or so and if it's still an issue I can discuss it with her teacher.

One kid off to school and the big first day of school for J on Wednesday! And I get my normal routine back for at least a little while. Yay!

Whew!

Right now things are chaotic. We have been going to bed early and waking up
early in preparation for school starting Monday. We had meet the teacher night last night and M wanted nothing to do with it. She's in serious denial
and feeling a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing. There were so many people there last night and all she wanted to do is get out of there and go have dinner. I really do feel kind of bad for her because Monday is coming up
fast and it might be a hard adjustment for her. She does know 4 other kids in her class so I'm hoping that helps. Of course J is clueless about going back
to school. When I mention it he kind of just shrugs and says he's ready. He's so laid back. He'll be just fine in a new school this year.

In other news, our new project is going well so far. It should be up
and running soon! Thanks to those who filled out surveys for me! We got a great response and I'm looking forward to sharing this new site with you!

Oh and one of our fish died last night. Of course it was 8pm and I was nauseous from some new hormones I'm taking and getting things ready for a job interview I had this morning. Because of course the fish couldn't die on a night where we aren't busy. Things just don't work that way. M took it amazingly well though and I think we will
go get a new one today sometime. I'm
Having them clean the toy room first so they have some incentive to do so.

Lurkers!

Ok guys I know there are a ton of people who read this blog and don't comment but I'm working on starting a new venture and I'd really like some input from those of you who read this blog and are interested in fitness and nutrition. Shoot me an email, leave a comment or something to let me know who you are if you'd like to help me out by filling out a survey and having the chance to win something! I need your email address if you'd like to participate in the survey. There will be some chances for free healthy food and cocktails as well for those who live close enough!

Email me at healthymamas [at] infofission [dot] com!

Birthdays Galore!

We had lots of birthday celebrations around here this weekend. Here are the pics!

Routine

School just cannot start soon enough around here. I so badly need to get back into a routine! I'm dragging myself to the gym but I'm not putting a whole hearted effort into it at all. Today I did some serious weight lifting for the first time in weeks and I'm feeling it now. I've still been doing Turbokick and tried the new Zumba class this week so I am certainly getting there and getting my workouts done, but I know I could be doing better. I haven't been running partly because my foot started bothering me, and partly because I just don't have any desire to run 5 miles a day right now. When I do run, I feel great. I totally 'get' the runner's high that people talk about. Once I make it past 2 miles I can pretty much run until I get bored. That has usually happened between 5 and 7 miles for me. But right now the thought of getting on a treadmill and running for miles and miles just doesn't appeal to me at all. I've been doing more classes just simply because it requires that I show up and not quit early. I had gotten to a point where I was really enjoying my workouts and I think I'll get there again once school starts and we aren't being so lazy. There are also other things in my life that have just taken priority over going to the gym quite as often.

This is what I worked so hard for. I like that I can have a couple of 'off' weeks and not worry that the scale isn't moving anywhere. I can occasionally have a bad eating day (I accidentally went 3 days of only eating 600-700 calories because I wasn't counting and I just don't eat much these days) and the scale doesn't move. At all. I may gain a pound or 2 but then it's off again before I have a chance to worry about it. Even after being on the road for 2 weeks the scale is right back where it was before I left. And it's certainly not because I've worked hard for it.

Next week is our last week of summer around here so I'll probably not work too terribly hard to get back into a routine until the kiddos are back in school. Then, even if I'm working, life will be easier simply because we do much better on a routine. I'm looking forward to seeing what this school year brings!