Keith in New Hampshire!

This is the picture of Vicky and me with Keith Urban when he played at Meadowbrook in Gilford, New Hampshire. Not the greatest picture of all time, but still pretty amazing...since Keith is in it!

Keith In New Hampshire

This was the day I had been waiting for....Keith in New Hampshire! But first things first...BANGOR last night! After driving 23 hours back to NH from Nashville, Sydney and I headed out to Bangor, Maine (yes, another 4 our drive) to see Keith Urban! We had PIT tickets, so like usual, the show was AMAZING. Highlights: fist fight between 2 40-something year olds during David Nail's performance, guy stage diving into the crowd that quickly became just a face full of gravel, and saying HEY to Jerry! Did I mention he's my favorite? Show was great, Keith looked SO skinny, and I was sick as a dog.

On to NEW HAMPSHIRE! Thankfully I knew a million people going to this show AND Vicky and I had both won Meet and Greets through Monkeyville so we were GOOD TO GO! In our meet and greet it was AWESOME because Vicky and I got to take a picture with JUST Keith. Usually you're in a group of a million people and you might be lucky enough to be next to Keith...not this time, it was just the 3 of us. The best part is I wore my "I got the moves like Jerry" shirt and Keith absolutely LOVED it. I believe it was his Dad that pointed it out and Keith said, "Oh my god, your shirt is AWESOME." After getting a good chuckle and asking if Jerry had seen it yet, Keith's Dad and his professional photographer were quick to snap pictures of the one-of-a-kind shirt...I'm sure I'll see it around Monkeyville somewhere. Thanks again, KJ, for making my shirt of an idea come true!

 Now for the concert...Keith came out with an EXPLOSION. It was amazing because me and my friend, Branden, were 5th row, but Jerry saw me and told me to go up front. As the security guards were literally pushing/holding me back, I yelled at them to look at Jerry and he yells "LET HER THROUGH." WOOHOOOO...front row bitches! Jerry absolutely LOVED my shirt and wants me to make him one....okkkk!!!

 Keith's performance was AMAZING. You could tell from the very beginning that he loved the crowd and was ready for a fun night. He played for a good 2 hours and 15 minutes, and I loved every minute of it. I got one of Keith's picks and two of my little cousins got some picks and Jerry's wristband....I DEFINITELY think Marisa is a fan for life now! Amazing concert, amazing meet and greet....SO sad it's over! Thanks to everyone that came with me - ya'll are awesome! Back to Nashville in 2 days! Love you all.

Eric Church at Mohegan Sun

After going to the Opry on Tuesday to see Eric Church, I flew home to see him 2 more times on Friday and Sunday...that's right, Church 3 times in one week - BOOyeah!

 Sydney and I drove to Mohegan Sun and had a ton of fun catching up with everything on the way there. When we got there we stopped to use the massage chairs at Brookstone, eat some mashed potatoes at the food court, and get some candy at the AMAZING candy story in the casino. After that we went to assess the line situation since we had PIT tickets. There were only 4 people in line, so we decided to stand there and wait it out with them to get the greatest odds of the PERFECT seat at the concert.

 While we were in line one of the guys in EC's crew came out to talk with us. I had met him one night at the guys' gig at Second Fiddle and we've kept into contact since. He's a super nice guy and he chatted it up with us for a good hour or so. He even brought us some EC picks to keep - THANKS BUDDY!

As we went into the arena we literally got the best (in my opinion) seats possible. I was literally at the corner of where the stage meets the catwalk. The opener for the show was very...unique? Totally not what I was expecting because Church is so badass. He was more of a folk singer, kind of like Hayes Carll, but older...and it was just kind of an odd match up with EC.

After going to the bathroom and solidifying our spot, Church came out. BOY does he do a crazy show. He's unlike Keith in that Keith is more intimate with the crowd and is more interactive. Church is just a huge ball of energy. His concert is the most intense concert I've ever been to (yes, the pyrotechnics help) and let me tell you, I was NOT disappointed. Throughout the show he kept on looking at me because I was just RAGING with his songs. Obviously I knew every single song since he's my #2 man, and it was clear that he took notice.

Throughout the show I kept waiting for him to play "These Boots" because everyone in the crowd puts their boots in the air and sings along. As soon as I heard the countdown during the encore I KNEW it was time. I whipped off my right boot in a hurry and was the first one to throw it in the air. As he sang the song, he stared RIGHT at me and just poured his heart out. As he got to the last verse he stepped away from the microphone and pointed RIGHT at me and said, "GIMME YOUR BOOT!" HOLY SHIT - Eric Church was choosing MY boot out of everyone in the whole audience to sing with - HELLO Heaven! He grabbed my incredibly warn boot and tried to get it to stand up straight to sing the song with and hilariously made the comment that he "couldn't keep it up" - SO my kind of humor. He sang the song holding my boot in the air and changed the last words of the song to "This beat up old New England boot!" I was literally DYING. Thankfully I was able to get the whole thing on video! At the end of the song he dropped his pick in the boot, SIGNED it, and threw it back at me - HOLY SHIT!

This was literally the COOLEST thing that could ever happen to a fan at an Eric Church concert. I'm so glad he takes time to notice who his TRUE fans are in the audience and rewards them for knowing every single song. Thanks, EC, for making my whole week! I can't wait to see another killer performance from you tomorrow!!

Switch Topic...ERIC CHURCH!

Ok, so I know this blog is about all Keith Urban stuff, but I figured I could write about Eric Church since he's Keith's favorite artist!

Last Tuesday I had the opportunity of going back stage at the Opry with my friends Josh, Jaime, and Sarah. I originally had 3rd row tickets to the show, but Jaime got a killer hook-up through work and got us all backstage passes - HOLY SMOKES!

Needless to say, backstage is utterly amazing. When you have a backstage pass you can literally explore EVERYTHING. No one is there to monitor, you can go into any rooms/dressing rooms you'd like, and you're literally among the stars. Naturally Josh and I split off from the group to explore everything on our own. Being Josh's favorite artist and my #2 man, we NEEDED to find Eric Church! Unfortunately after searching for quite a while, it was evident he was either in a secret holding area or hadn't arrived at the Opry yet. We returned back to behind where the performances took place and enjoyed the show (P.S...the view is KILLER from behind the artists)

Just before Eric's performance, he came out from behind us. Josh and I were DYING inside, but totally keeping our composure on the outside. He was about 4 feet away from us just talking to people for a good 10 minutes before his performance. One of the coolest parts is when he looked over at me and I waved at him and he smiled and waved back. There's a 0% chance I'm going to hide my excited personality just because Eric Church is in the building!

His performance was 4 songs long and it was SO amazing because he did it solo and all acoustically. Josh and I were literally melting during his performance. Naturally, we decided we NEEDED to get to talk to him when he was done. As he exited the stage, a guy asked to have a picture with him and we KNEW this was our chance! We formed a kind of line and sure enough, he stuck around to meet us and let us have our pictures taken with him. It was pretty epic because he only met about 10 people, and 4 of them were us. After I got my pictures taken with him I go, "Just to let you know, I REALLY love you." I definitely couldn't hold it in; I HAD to tell him. He goes, "Well thanks!" with a huge smile on his face.

Needless to say, Josh's life is complete. I wish he had gotten to talk to him a little longer to tell him what a huge influence he's had on his work/writing, but it was so cool just to get to meet him, have him squeeze your side during the picture, and to have evidence (a picture) of meeting the man of the hour.

Way too cool. Thanks, Eric Church, for an amazing performance and for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet the fans that adore you like no other!

Keith's Grand Ole Opry Induction

I know this is a little late, but Keith's Opry induction was absolutely AMAZING. Mom, Dad, and I left on a Friday to head down to Nashville for the week. Naturally we left earlier than we had originally anticipated to get to see his induction - how could I possibly miss that? After checking into the Opryland Hotel and having dinner, I was off to show #1 - his actual induction. This time I went by myself and I was the first row in the balcony because the seats sold out in about five seconds. I was a crying wreck, let me tell you. I knew I would be emotional, but had no idea I would be THAT emotional. Trace Adkins and Josh Turner ended up also playing that night and helped present Keith with his induction plaque. Keith was AMAZING that night and did the most heartfelt acceptance speech I've ever heard. I love how much he respects his fans and how grateful he is of every single person who's made him the person he is today. Toward the beginning of the show you could tell he was super nervous, but by the end he was his normal self. Afters how numero uno, Mom and Dad met me for the second show (OF COURSE I was going to both shows). Both of them had never been to the Opry before, so this was an excellent first time! This time we had seats 10 rows from the stage, so it was a MUCH better vantage point. Mom and Dad LOVED it there and were really impressed with Josh Turner's live performance (they already knew how amazing Keith was). Needless to say it was an amazing night that I will never forget. I'm so glad I was there for the most important night in Keith's country career thus far. Way to go Keith, I'm so proud of you <3

The Opry's Newest Member!

Last night during his We're All For The Hall performance, Keith was told he was going to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry!!! About time, right? Keith's been in Nashville for 20 years and is FINALLY becoming a member. He thanked his fans, his record, and his family as he teared up holding the microphone in the Grand Ole Opry microphone stand. The best part about this news is that I'm going to be in Nashville during the induction, and I am, in fact, going to the show! Will post pictures and a review as soon as possible!

Pinch me, I MUST be dreaming!

As most of you know, I work at the Texas Roadhouse, and today while I was at work I noticed WOKQ's Mark Ericson sitting by himself at a table. Having had my KU video shown live on their morning radio show and on their facebook page, I HAD to go over and say thank you. I went over and said, "Hi Mark, I hate to bother you, but I have to thank you for watching my video - I'm New Hampshire's biggest Keith Urban fan." IMMEDIATELY he knew exactly who I was, and 100% remembered my video - WOOHOO! I talked to him a bit about the video and how impressed he was at my video skills (thanks for teaching me KJ). We got talking about how I had just gotten back from Nashville and how I'm looking to move there in Nashville and he asked why. NOW WAS MY CHANCE TO PITCH RIVER CITY GANG!!!! I started telling about RCG and how awesome they are. I also told him how I hoped I'd get a job with them in the future, and that I'm working at TRH pretty much non-stop right now to save up to move to Nashville.

What was utterly insane to me is that he seemed as interested to talk to me as I was interested to talk to him - INSANE IN THE MEMBRANE! After completely pitching RCG and telling him that once they're big one day he's gonna say, "MAN, that server at the roadhouse was right," I went to take care of my tables. As I went out back I begged one of my managers to go look for my RCG CD in my car. Naturally I carry around an extra in the event that Mark came in to eat. OF COURSE she couldn't find it, so I went out myself...yep...sorry tables, I have more important things to tend to! Thankfully I found in the CD in about 2 seconds, and KNEW I had to give it to Mark before he left. I kept looking over at his table while I was getting drinks and every time he was looking right at me...NUTS! Finally I went back over to the table and said, "I have to...here's the CD...please listen to it." I start to walk away and he goes, "wait, I have something for you." There it was...he handed me over his business card. He must have been waiting for me to come back over to the table because it was face up on the table waiting for me. He said to give him a call and that he'd love to get to talk to me more and to give me a tour and see what business opportunities were available for me. In essence, he made me feel like he might actually offer me a job.

Needless to say, I emailed him when I got home from work and I look forward to chatting with him in the future.

I hope so badly he listened to RCG's CD on his way home...so surreal!

Thanks Mark Ericson for making my day!

WOKQ Rules

All yesterday and last night I worked on a video to sent to Mark and Karen of WOKQ's Morning Waking Crew to show them what a HUGE Keith Urban fan I am. After failed e-mails and a failed post on facebook, I finally uploaded the video on youtube and was able to send it to the crew asking to take a minute and fourteen seconds out of their busy schedule to watch it. Guess what? THEY DID! In fact, not only did they watch the video, they watched it ON AIR and put it on their facebook page for all to see. How cool is that? Though they can't promise anything right now because they don't even know if they'll get meet and greet opportunities, I'm hopeful that my video will be a big hit and when the time comes, I'll get a chance to meet Keith on behalf of WOKQ's Loyal Listeners. After all, IS there a bigger KU fan in New Hampshire? I dare say not! Here's the video if you haven't seen it yet..

Keith Hits NEW HAMPSHIRE!

That's RIGHT, ladies and gentlemen, the big man himself is coming to NEW HAMPSHIRE!!! Today it was announced that Keith will be performing at Meadowbrook Cellular Pavilion on September 2nd, 2012...OH MY GOODNESS! Never did I think Keith would play a gig in New Hampshire, let alone at a tiny place like Meadowbrook. It's like all my KU dreams are coming true. I'm so grateful to have him in my life and to have him SO close to home. Now the only thing I need to do is GET TICKETS! It's usually ridiculously hard to get face value tickets through the Meadowbrook site because they release tickets to season ticket holders first, THEN the general public, which usually puts you in the back sections. Lets face it, I CANNOT deal with back row seats at a KU concert! I'll definitely be praying to the Keith Urban Gods tonight in hopes of getting lucky with some awesome tickets during tomorrow's presale! Wish me luck :)

KURT: Canadian Edition (revised)

This blog was originally posted a while ago, but needed some vital revisions...here's the new and improved blog...

This weekend Sydney and I ventured to Canada to experience literally the best weekend of my entire life. Our KURT started in Buffalo, New York on Thursday, September 8th, so we decided to sleep over at KJ and Angie's on Wednesday night to get an early move-on. Eight hours and a New York State speeding ticket later, we made it to the HSBC Arena around 2pm for the 7:30 concert. First things first: check out the bus situation. We found where the buses were parked and naturally started talking to the crew guys, many of which remembered us from the last time we encountered/partied with them in Albany - can you even imagine that...the crew guys remember us! We had a little small talk then went to eat some wings in Buffalo (as we saw fit) at a nearby restaurant. We then walked around a little longer, stopped at a bar to try to win some BSE and extremely close tickets, and met back up with the guys before the concert who told us to meet up with them after for a rager. Let me think..um...OK!

The Buffalo concert was a little bitter-sweet for Sydney and myself because it was the last time we'd be seeing Jake Owen open for Keith. We've come to REALLY love Jake throughout this tour and were very sad that The Band Perry was opening for Keith in Canada instead of our Y-E-E-H-A-W boy. Nonetheless, we're here for KEITH, and that's really all that matters.

For this concert we had 12th row floor tickets, which immediately became 1st row tickets when we decided to make friends with the male security guards. That is step 1 to being awesome at a KU concert: Make friends with security guards! It's crazy how much a little small talk can get you in an arena. They may ask where your seats are, and you just point to the front. From that moment forward they'll just remember your faces and never ask you once to see your tickets - Ah, GENIUS! Jake was great; wasn't quite as high of an energy performance as previous shows like Boston, but was still quite flawless. He was sure to look our way a few times and smile...ya know, just to melt our hearts.

Once Jake exited the stage it was the waiting game until Keith came on. Fortunately for Sydney and myself we know that Jake ends promptly at 8;15 and that Keith promptly hits the stage at about 8:42....when his "special song" starts playing. We ran quickly to the bathroom and got back right in the front to be on Danny and Nutter's side of the stage. Definitely not our preferred side of the stage since the camera guy, Chris, is always standing there...but still, front row!

When Keith hit the stage it was absolutely mayhem. He brings such high energy to the arena and makes all your problems just melt away (including the $300 speeding ticket). I had so much fun just letting loose and basking in pure Keith bliss. I was pretty pumped because this time Keith added "Raining on Sunday" into his setlist, which is one of my favorite songs on Earth. Another really awesome part about this concert is that Keith had Jake Owen come on stage for the encore to play "a little ditty, about Jack and Diane..." and it was purely AMAZING. The two men are great together and really make you feel like you're the ONLY one in the arena - kudos boys!

After the concert we went back to our car to freshen up, then met the guys at the buses for a little after party. The greatest part was when Sydney and I were walking to the buses with a 6-pack of Sam Summer and the security guard, who is keeping back a rather large amount of people goes, "ya'll can't go in there." Immediately the guys from the crew go, "NO, it's ok, they're with us." THAT'S RIGHT...eat it! We had so much fun on the little bus party. It was pretty calm, considering, but we got to meet some other really cool girls from the area and Jake's drummer who is absolutely hysterical, so all is good. This time we wanted to head out a little before the buses to "play it cool." We left and starting driving on Ottawa, where the next concert was. Unfortunately I only got about 1 hour into the drive when I just HAD to stop to sleep. We stopped at a rest stop around 3:30, slept until 6, and were back on the road, arriving in Ottawa around noon.

In Ottawa we had a really nice hotel room that was (fortunately) not scary at all. We were not within walking distance from the arena, which kinda stunk, but were more than willing to grab a cab after the show if need be. Friday night was the first night The Band Perry opened for Keith, and they really did impress me. I had seen them once before in Nashville and was really disappointed, but they KILLED it. The lead singer, Kimberly, had her A-game on that night, and perfectly prepared the audience for Keith. For the Band Perry's performance we laid back in our 8th row tickets because we didn't care to be THAT close when they were there..and after their performance we decided to make our move. Step 2 of being awesome at a KU concert: make it seem like you know where you're going. On your way to the front odds are people will stop to ask you if you know where you're going or to check your tickets. Look FORWARD, make it seem like you have a friend in the front, and don't ask questions. If you seem timid or anxious they might want to check your tickets - just play cool! That night we were literally in the PERFECT spot for the concert. We were right in front of Jerry on the right side and right next to the girls we had met at the bus party the night before - awesome.

Keith was yet again amazing on Friday night. The coolest part was that Jerry completely remembered who I was from the time I sang with him on stage and kept on coming over to Sydney and I to make our hearts beat like little school girls. Also what was awesome was when Keith would look over and TOTALLY recognize who I am - I MUST BE DREAMING. That night Danny also threw a pick at me...and I missed it...then threw another...and another..all of which I missed. By the 3rd time he put his hands out and goes.."REALLY." Thankfully the 4th one was a charm <3

After the concert we again met up with the guys to party. That night we saw our favorite security guard for a brief second to say hi, but we mostly stayed in the buses just partying, dancing, and watching football because it was so cold outside. We went back to our hotel around 2am to get a good night's sleep...and were up and on the road again by 7 in the morning to head to Toronto.

On our way into Toronto we quickly realized how much we hated the city. Apparently they were doing some film festival that weekend, so there were people EVERYWHERE and it took us so long to drive to our hotel. When we finally got to the hotel, it was an absolute pit. Note to self: Never stay at THE GRANGE hotel in Toronto - SCARY! The place was one block from one of the busiest Chinatown's I've ever seen. The elevator automatically stopped at floor 2 even if you didn't press it, the place smelled AWFUL, and you had an actually KEY to open your door - not a card. Apparently this place used to be an apartment building, but they changed it, probably because no person on earth would want to stay there for more than once night - Yikes!

We headed to the arena around 5:30 for the 7:30 show, and hit so much traffic for our 1.7 mile commute that we couldn't even stop for food on the way. We stopped by the buses to say hi on the way in, then were in line out in front of the arena. One of the funniest things was when the crew guys came out on their scooters to say hi to us while we were in line. One of the "main" crew guy was being dumb and asking who we were waiting for, etc. He made it seem like he hadn't really even heard of Keith Urban before--except through Nicole Kidman--and that he was surprised Keith was even big enough to have a show in Canada. Obviously Sydney and I were holding back our giggles as the people around us were looking at them in horror. As the guys drove away Sydney and I just watched the faces on the people as they slowly but surely noticed the "ALL ACCESS KEITH URBAN" tags they were wearing. It was pretty epic.

After some pizza in the arena we quickly realized that our 10th row tickets were just NOT going to be good enough. We tried getting to the front, but it really just wasn't working. The security guards were super strict that night and it looked like Sydney and I were going to be screwed...10 feet from the stage. Fortunately for us we have connections!!! Sydney texted one of our friends to say that the guards were being dicks. What did our little gem do? Get us to the front of course! He met us by our seats and just said, "follow me." As we're following him 2 guards stopped us and wouldn't let us go any further unless we showed our tickets. The kind gentleman just turns to them, flashed his "ALL ACCESS" pass and said, "they're with me." THAT'S RIGHT - WE'RE WITH HIM!!! FRONT ROW AGAIN!

Keith brought a TON of energy to the concert that night, but the audience wasn't quite as amazing considering it was a Saturday night. Keith was trying so hard to blow everyone's minds...but they weren't responding as they should have. Slightly disappointed with the audience, but Keith was utterly amazing.

After the show Sydney and I walked to our car...for about 30 minutes considering we got lost...then headed to our room to freshen up. At 11:30 at night the traffic was still HORRIBLE in Toronto. Apparently they were keeping the bars open until 4am because of the film festival, so driving was hellish. We quickly got ready then got a cab to bring us back to the arena for some partying! When we got there all the guys were like, "JESUS, where have you been?" At this point it's more like we're just EXPECTED to party with them - BOOYEAH! When Sydney and I walked onto the bus we literally thought we were going to shit our pants when the first two people we see are DR and CM. Yep, we just upped our game...we're partying with the BAND! Step 3 to being awesome: PLAY IT COOL! Never make it seem like you're surprised/shocked to see these famous people..just play it cool. Talk to them, make them feel normal..and DON'T, I repeat DO NOT TALK ABOUT KEITH! There's really no reason to. All these guys have an agreement that they can't get fans to meet the big wigs, so don't even bother. It'll make you look like an idiot and will definitely ruin your chances of ever getting invited to a bus party ever again. Enjoy yourself...allow a cute guy to make you a drink that's 99% vodka..and see where the night brings you. Needless to say, a few shots and a large drink later, Sydney and I were walking back to our hotel...or so we thought...with the plan of meeting the guys the following day in London for their day off.

As a side note, Sydney and I had been walking/stumbling for a good half hour when we decided to ask 3 men in business suits how to get to our hotel. OF COURSE WE WERE GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION! Thankfully these guys decided to split up to go to their cars and one fine gentlemen just allowed us to share a cab with him, drop us off at our hotel, and not make us pay a single cent - THANKS BUDDY!

That night we went quickly to bed and got up early in the morning on Sunday to head to London - after all we had a whole day of hanging out with the crew ahead of us! We arrived in London around noon and we were POOPED! Thankfully we were able to check into our hotel a little early to take a nap. After showering and getting ready we met the boys in the crew at the Fox and the Fiddle for what would eventually become a KU Crew London Pub Crawl. Sydney and I ate there and I was introduced to what one of the crew guys calls the "Peter Piper" shot. Basically it's an entire shot of Jameson followed by a shot of pickle juice. Sounds different...tastes amazing.

From there we went to another bar that you could throw peanuts on the floor, which obviously caught Sydney and my eyes. The place was awesome and was where we began to realize that we were going to have one long, drunk night. The "main" crew guy decided he wanted to see "drunk Katie," so he and another guy began buying shots...and shots...and shots for me...plus a few beers. In no time Sydney and I were bonding wonderfully with our 8 crew members. We were there for a VERY long time..then we went to another classier establishment where I had (I think) the best long island iced tea of my life - it had a little swirl of lemon sorbet on top - so amazing. We then went back to the Fox and the Fiddle just before closing time to have a few more shots of Jager. Thats when everything starts getting a little fuzzy. I know that we went back to the bus for a while where we had a huge dance party and things started getting even more amazing. After than I know I ended up in our hotel somehow, but I go in and out of remembering other things. Crazy? Irresponsible? Try AMAZING.

The next morning Sydney and I literally thought we were going to die. The crew guys had to leave the hotel by 7:15 to start setting stuff up and I honestly have no idea how they did it. I had gotten a few texts that morning from the security guard saying he wanted to rage that night, so Sydney and I had to fill our bellies with water and bread to prepare!

Monday's activities were utterly awesome. We walked around London a bit and got to experience some of the cool markets around the arena. We were able to give our favorite crew guy his awesome "pimp your scooter" kit we had made him consisting of an awesome pink and white bike basket and a rearview mirror. He thought we were hilarious. We went back to the hotel to get ready for the concert and obviously walked to the arena during the only 10 minute shower that entire weekend. We were SOAKED by the time we got there..but have no fear, Keith is here!

For this concert we decided to sneak up front right in the beginning, which worked like a charm. No questions asked, we were perfectly in front of Jerry the entire concert. Monday night was literally one of the top 3 concerts I've ever seen Keith perform. It was more like a Friday night than a Monday night. Keith does well playing off of the audience's energy, so it was truly epic. A few times Keith looked at me an nodded a "hi," which makes me think that he actually remembers me. Jerry, Nutter, and Danny also came over to say hi to Sydney and me. It's literally like we're living a dream.

After the concert that night we were pretty sure we were going to meet up with the guys to party, but weren't sure since everyone was so hung over. Fortunately we got the invite and arrived at the hotel bar to find ourselves staring at a table consisting of the security guard, the entire band (minus Keith), and our favorite crew guys. Again I say, PLAY IT COOL! Sydney grabbed a beer and sat down behind our favorite security guard on a piano bench. I stood there with my Baileys and Coffee just talking to a crew guy and JF. JF is like..TAKE A SEAT BUDDY...to the seat right beside him...don't mind if I do! The entire experience was like I was living a dream. The guys were really interested in talking to Sydney and I and I literally felt like I was famous by association. Each and every one of the guys commented on how excited I was when I hit the stage with Keith, which means that they REALLY knew who I was - SO COOL!

At closing time we were invited back to a party on the bus..and BOY was it a party. Dancing...music...air bass playing by JF - nothing less than a perfect night. He is my little buddy. One of the coolest parts of that night was when we went outside and Sydney formally introduced herself to BN. She then said, "This is my friend, Katie Cardinal" and BN goes, "I KNOW." THAT'S RIGHT - HE KNOWS ME! So insane.

That night we stayed up partying until about 4 am. When Sydney and I finally returned to the room after saying good-bye to everyone we just realized how awesomely blessed we truly are. Never have we ever had a better weekend in our entire lives, and to be able to share it together is even more special. This was a perfect way to kick off our excitement for moving temporarily to Nashville!