moments....

There's moments in your life that will be etched in your memory forever. This day two years ago is one of those moments. It still feels like yesterday that I got the sobbing call from my sister telling me to pull over, not wanting me to be driving when she told me of our Granny's passing.

I have so many memories from that week. Some memories I don't really want to remember, like finding pieces of her teeth laying in the back porch where she fell. Some memories I'll treasure forever, like being given the moment for my sister & I to run our fingers in her hair one last time. Or every local business in Madison coming up to us to tell us stories of how much they loved her. (Yes, in her 80's, my Grandmother was more of a social butterfly than I am at the age of 28!) Or cleaning her apartment out with my cousins, and seeing she never threw away anything when it came to us. (Because who kept the paper teddy bear with my name written on it that hung on my kindergarten cubicle? Granny.)

One moment that will forever stay etched in my mind is so simple....after leaving moms house the day of the news to go home & pack, as I got in the car my iPod switched to Patty's "The Grandpa I Know"....

I never met my Grandfather. He died of a heart attack a few years before I was born. Ironically, the two of us grandchildren that never met him are the two that are the most like him. Grandpa lived for playing guitar & vintage country music. An avid fan fair goer, and loved to record himself playing music. My cousin Jeremy inherited the guitar skills, and I inherited the massive love (okay, so obsession. For what it's worth, his was an obsession too!) for vintage country music.  I may never have had the chance to meet him, but my Granny was sure to tell me repeatedly how much I reminded her of him. Because my Gran was such a hoarder, I've seen every picture probably ever taken of him, have every paper he probably ever signed, and have the letters he wrote her during the war - so I feel like I did know my Grandfather. And thanks again to that love of music - if I ever want to hear him, all I have to do is pop in the tapes he left behind, singing the kind of music my sister scrunches her nose at and I can't get enough of.

My grandparents married when my Granny was 19, in 1946, and were married until his death in 1978, and I never even saw her date anyone else.

When Patty released "The Grandpa I Know", everyone that heard it was moved, myself included. (Especially once you heard her do it live.) But I never fully identified with it. I don't think I honestly was ever as emotionally overcome with a song as I was when this came through my speakers the day my Granny died. While the entire song is incredible, it was these lyrics that hit me:

Grandma was his boyhood bride
He'll be there in her arms tonight
He'll sleep there in her arms tonight

My grandmother knew she wasn't going to be around forever, and apparently though ahead...which I discovered when I found a letter to us in her purse when cleaning out the apartment. Certainly not an easy thing to read, but as we read the page about her being at peace with what happens, and wanting to be with my grandfather again, those lyrics were all I could think of in my mind. Music is a powerful thing...

Kentucky Music Hall of Fame

Finally home after the most amazing week!

I totally geeked out last year when I saw they were adding Patty to the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame. They were killing me announcing it a year in advance, though. I had tickets & the hotel booked exactly a year in advance and then we had to sit....and wait.

It just so happened this week the bestie was on spring break, sooo she got to come with me, and we made it a girls weekend (err, mid week?)! I drove down to Georgia on Tuesday night, where we spent the night with plenty of sangria & last minute panics of packing. We got up bright & early Wednesday morning to head to Lexington, and made a pit stop in Renfro Valley to tour the Hall of Fame. The employees there were so tickled at our ridiculous enthusiasm.....(and let us tour the museum free because we had bought tickets to the induction!)

But it was totally warranted, because LOOK at that! I was so tickled. Until I got up to the display and realized two of those pictures I took, and they took them off my website, so they were enlarged from really small images -- they were horribly pixelated. Not to mention, do I have a sign on my forehead that says, "Hey! Please take my pictures without even asking"? The GA HOF did the same thing. I get it's because Patty's web presence blows & my site is pretty badass, but damn. I immediately got with the manager to tell him I would have pictures printed from my lab & would send photos of her wearing the outfit to make her set up look better. 

We hit the road again to Lexington and checked into the hotel & immediately looked up two of the most important things in the world: Starbucks & a Karaoke bar. We found out there was a Starbucks "just down the road", so we decided to walk. That "just down the road" was a few freaking miles, inside campus! We were walking....walking....walking....wondering when the hell this damn Starbucks was going to appear.  (We LOVED exploring downtown Lexington though, and it made me definitely start looking into transferring to UK this summer!) The important thing was:

We got the liquid gold! 

When we made it back & got ready for dinner & karaoke, we decided to stop over by the ceremony area and spotted THIS gem:

That is totally P's face larger than life hanging from the ceiling!

Karaoke in Lexington is.....special. It was entertaining to say the least. Some of my PL songs fit in pretty well, but I'm pretty sure we might have been the only ones who knew the words to some of the old school Loretta we tried pulling out.

with the bestie

Because we talk to everyone....we met this guy who called himself "Big Country Randy". Big Country Randy sadly did not live up to his name, butchered "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man" (who the hell doesn't know the words to this song!?) and then sang "Because I Got High". Seriously. I couldn't make this shit up. And then we left. 

Thursday morning we got up early to head to my appointments - I made hair & makeup appointments, so I could just let someone else fool with it and not have to worry about a thing! And, because I totally suck at curling my own hair. Thank goodness we made early appointments, it took us all day to get ready and change our mind six million times. 

But we were totally ready for the red carpet in time, and I thought Rita was going to have a heart attack when she met Steve Wariner --- who is seriously the nicest guy in the state of Tennessee. 

After awhile, it was pretty apparent P wasn't coming in the red carpet and we went inside.  But the "Do you know how much money I shelled out for this!? I have to get a picture with her!" set in and we went out by the bar area to get a drink and kind of hang out for a little bit to try and catch her. And we timed it perfect, because shortly after that, Emory popped up. And I immediately grilled him about where his wife was & what she was going to sing. (Okay, so we didn't grill him....but important inquiries here folks!) Quick talk told us she was singing "Blame" & "Harlan", and she was "still upstairs doing what she does!" (his words!) 

Since we were just hanging out for a bit, we made some new friends (we really DO talk to everyone...) & headed outside to smoke. (Them, not me) Some chatter and mid-cigarette later, I spotted P coming in the doors to the right of us, and I immediately did the "There she is, we're out!"

P looked fabulous, but apparently she thought the same thing about us, because the first words out of her mouth were "Nicole!!! You look so nice!", at which point I immediately gave the "I have got to get a pic!" line, and got this kick ass picture:

This picture here was worth all the freaking money I spent on this damn trip. Totally my favorite picture of me & P now. 

P started asking us about coming up for it, and asking if we drove up from GA...and then asked Rita if she wanted a picture, and Rita goes, "Can I?" and probably got the best response in the world when P said, "If Nicole says it's okay!" Love it. As we turned to leave, P said "You really do look pretty!"

I'm so glad my best friend is down with all this, because when we got to our table, the food had arrived already and it was a little cold so she totally had to eat cold food. And as I went to check out my plate, I spotted onions. You know, the one thing I'm totally allergic to & will close my throat up.  No dinner for this girl.

I've totally got to hand it to the KYHOF - they put together a really great ceremony. Other inductees included Keith Whitley, The Goins Brothers, Molly O'Day, Steve Wariner & John Michael Montgomery. Everyone that was able to be there was pretty good --- save for Eddie Montgomery who was there to induct his brother and was drunk from the time he arrived. Patty was 2nd to last, and they showed this video montage of her beforehand (which also again featured a bunch of my pictures), and then she gave this insanely awesome speech that made me cry. (Surprise, Surprise, I know).

And then, she blew everyone away with "Harlan" -- dude seriously, there was tons of artists there tonight and not one can even compare to the oodles amount of talent this girl has. She closed her set with "Blame", which Crystal Gayle & John Conlee totally sang along with us to at our table. 

Steve Wariner was last, and I really love him --- but I just couldn't handle his set. The ceremony was held on the 1 year anniversary of the day we buried Granny, and of course he had to open his set with "Holes in the Floor of Heaven". Unfortunately I am just not ready for that song. 

We re-treated back to the room to change into normal clothes so we could run to Sonic -- the whole "Nicole didn't get to eat" was coming into play. As we left, Melvin Goins from the Goins Brothers was waiting out by Patty's bus to catch her before she left  - which might have been the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Best week ever. And now I'm totally overwhelmed in picture overload.