We started the month off with my mom having a stroke and Brent's mom having hip replacement surgery...on the same day. To say I was a hot mess would be an understatement but they are both doing so great now. You wouldn't even know my mom had a stroke, and Brent's mom's hip is just about perfect!
We went to Two-Step for the 3rd year and also had out-of-town visitors come - Brent's cousin, Philip, and his wife, Kristi, and some friends {of Philip's and ours}, David and Carla. BUT the weather was terrible, and we bailed early on the first day and didn't even go the second day, ha!
Allena, Carla, and Kristi trying to not be popsicles
Got the kids in the bluebonnets, yay!
This wasn't the best year for our favorite flower, but they always make me smile.
The girls got to play in my mother-in-law's wedding dress! Cuties!
Drew had to have her last 4 baby teeth pulled. The permanent teeth were growing in and 2 of the baby teeth weren't budging! This was the last step before braces!
Feeling just a little woozy! And look at the roots on that 1 tooth, so gross.
Easter! The whole Swope clan.
Strep throat, nooooooo!
Girl Scouts do World Thinking Day!
I chaperoned a field trip for Paige. Love being able to do this.
We had our 2nd trip to the Two-Step Inn festival in our little town a couple of weeks ago. Once again we had a great time! Great music and great time with friends. I did overserve myself, so I was suffering some early in the following week, but it was totally worth it!
Why yes, overserving myself included shots of fireball. Oy!
The weather forecast wasn't great for Saturday {and we were more excited for Sunday's lineup}, so our plan was to go and if/when it started raining, we would head to our town square to continue hanging with our friends. I really wanted to see Pat Green, and the rain held off until his show ended, yay! I saw him several times in college and always thought he had a great show, and he didn't disappoint this time.
Ready for Pat Green!
And then the rain came...boo!
Enjoying food and more drinks at one of our favorite square spots, Tejas.
Susannah and I were both not feeling our best on Sunday. I made it to brunch... barely though!
Getting ready for day 2, ha
Most of our crew on Day 2!
We ran into one of our favorite AmpedUp customers!
And then we ran into another instructor! Love our small-ish town.
The only picture I got with Brent, sigh.
Sunday's performances were great! Ludacris and Turnpike Troubadors being the last 2 shows that we LOVED! Brent skipped Ludacris in favor of Clint Black {whose Killing Time album is Brent's favorite album of all time}, but we met back up for Turnpike.
We had such an amazing weekend, and I hope to keep going in the future.
We went to an awesome 2-day music festival in our town this past weekend and had a BLAST. The company that puts on ACL put it on and did an amazing job. It was largely country music {and A LOT of 80s and 90s artists} but then with random people like T. Pain haha. We went with a bunch of our closest friends and had a great weekend. And the kids had a great weekend - they spent Saturday night with my parents and Sunday night with Brent's.
Saturday - it was much warmer on Saturday, got up to 90 degrees, and was very sunny. I might have over imbibed on the alcoholic libations {I hadn't had any alcohol since February}! We saw Doug Stone, Charlie Robison, Jo Dee Messina, Shenandoah, and finished the night with T-Pain!
Saturday - sitting with my ladies!
Susie didn't get the memo, ha
T. Pain was incredible!
The bad part of the whole festival was...leaving. The lines for rideshares was so bad, so Brent and I started walking towards home to try and get away from the crowd. Eventually we just called his dad who came and got us. We made a plan for Sunday night for him to pick us up again. Best father-in-law ever!
Sunday - a 'cool' front blew in so the weather was perfect - upper 60s and low 70s. I was a bit more responsible with my alcohol consumption {grin}. We saw Clay Walker, John Michael Montgomery, Paul Cauthen, Little Texas, Wynonna Judd, and finished the night with Tyler Childers.
Neighbors and friends with great taste in music
I like this progression of our photo bombers - look at each pic for these 3
John Michael Montgomery killed it!
Tyler Childers!
Trying to be cute but her hat was in the way
We really love Tyler Childers
We really enjoyed the festival and can't wait to do it again next year!
If you've read my blog for any amount of time, you know how I feel about Christmas carols! I even posted my top and bottom 5 carols last week. I love listening to a mix of traditional carols but also finding new songs to enjoy. This year I think I've got a GREAT crop of new favorites. And my definition of 'new' means it's new to me - one song is super old, I've just never heard it before ha.
Under the Mistletoe by Kelly Clarkson & Brett Eldridge
Evermore by Pentatonix {this whole album is awesome}
Thank God It's Christmas by Queen {here's the oldie haha}
Glow by Kelly Clarkson & Chris Stapleton
Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) by Pentatonix
Cozy Little Christmas by Katy Perry
And my absolute new favorite, Merry Christmas by Elton John & Ed Sheeran
I can't believe this is my first Christmas post. I had to get through Hawaii first! {grin} I stole this topic from Mix & Match Mama and thought it was a fun one - my top and bottom 5 Christmas songs!
Let's start with my 5 favorite songs! This was really hard because I LOVE so many Christmas songs! I used to be an extreme traditionalist when it came to carols, but Pandora has shown me the error of my ways over the last handful of years, and now I love a mix of traditional carols and more modern/new songs. So it's not too surprising that my favorites are a mix as well!
5. LOVE IS CHRISTMAS by Sara Bareilles
This song is just so beautiful! I've enjoyed it for years now - yes, it's definitely a new Christmas song, but it is a GREAT song. It's also a very simple song - Sara and a piano!
4. ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS by Mariah Carey
I read she has made $72M off this song alone. And I'm honestly not surprised! She is {in my opinion} the Queen of Christmas!
3. HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
There are so many good versions of this song! It's a song that just makes me happy every time I hear it. I especially love Etta James' and Perry Como's versions.
2. THAT'S CHRISTMAS TO ME by Pentatonix
Gosh I LOVE this song! I've been listening to it for at least 5 years and it is SO good.
1. THE CHRISTMAS SONG
I love just about every version of this song, but my favorite is Nat King Cole's version. To me, this is the epitome of a traditional Christmas carol and the absolute best one!
Now onto my least favorite carols! I can't imagine that people particularly enjoy most of these, and some I don't even know why they were made! But let me know if you disagree, ha.
5. RUN RUDOLPH RUN by Chuck Berry
This just doesn't feel like a Christmas carol, except that it's talking about Rudolph. It just feels like a Chuck Berry rock-and-roll song. It needs to feel like a Christmas carol!
4. ROCKIN' AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE
I think this is a mostly well-loved song...but it drives me bananas. I don't think I typically get sick of Christmas carols, but this is the exception.
3. JINGLE BELL ROCK
Same as #4, this song just annoys me to no end.
2. ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS MY TWO FRONT TEETH
While I must admit, my little kiddo missing her two front teeth right now is super adorable, this song is dumb.
1. IWANT A HIPPOPATAMUS FOR CHRISTMAS
Even dumber than wanting your front teeth is this completely ridiculous song about a hippo. I can't even hear a single note of this song without my head wanting to explode!
Runner-ups:
- The chipmunk Christmas song
- Christmas Shoes - GAG - the most depressing song ever!
It's time to share my new list of modern Christmas songs that are tickling my fancy this year. I have a great playlist working of all the old standards, my favorite still being Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song mixed together with Pentatonix, Michael Buble, Kelly Clarkson, etc.
And as I say every year - just because I just discovered these songs this year doesn't mean that they are new haha.
When You Believe - Pentatonix and Maren Morris
Like It's Christmas - Jonas Brothers
[Yes, 25 year old Allena can't believe 40 year old Allena likes the Jo Bros]
All I Want (For Christmas) - Liam Payne
I'll Be Your Santa Tonight - Keith Urban
Under the Mistletoe - Kelly Clarson and Brett Eldredge
Christmas Tree Farm - Taylor Swift
Merry Little Christmas - Robin Thicke
Celebrate Me Home - Josh Groban
Santa Tell Me - Pentatonix
You Make it Feel Like Christmas - Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton
I've started a blog tradition of my own the past few years sharing some new {to me} Christmas songs that I've fallen in love with. Some are older and I'm behind the times and some are recent releases. Overall, I am a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas carols, but I do think it's fun to mix in a new song here and there - especially when they use sleigh bells haha. Nothing says Christmas song like sleigh bells, am I right?
I've started a little tradition the last few years of sharing my newest Christmas song finds. I used to think of myself as a traditionalist who didn't like those newfangled Christmas songs and only wanted to hear the 'classics', but I've discovered I really love a healthy mix of both! I want to hear Nat King Cole singing The Christmas Song followed by Pentatonix's That's Christmas to Me. I like to mix Pandora's Today's Christmas station with their Christmas Radio station - a perfect mix of the old and new! So I bring you my choices for new Christmas songs I discovered this year. As usual, they might be several years old {I never said I was a trendsetter}, ha.
When We are Together - The Tenors
Present Without a Bow - Kacey Musgraves (f. Leon Bridges)
This song makes me want to listen to everything Leon Bridges has ever done.
Born is the King - Hillsong
Only You - Kylie Minogue and James Corden
This is 100% not a Christmas song, but it plays on my Christmas Radio pandora station, and I LOVE the original, so I'm adding it just because I can.
Christmas Must Be Tonight - The Band
This song is from 1977, but I heard Train's version for the first time last year, and it is AMAZING. And actually, Train's whole Christmas album is pretty sweet!
Anything new-ish floating your boat this Christmas season?
Have you heard the lyrics to Brett Eldridge's song Lose My Mind? It is about being in love with a girl. But I think any mother could attest that this song could very easily describe the emotions of parenting. {grin}
You make me crazy...and I kinda like it
You put me on a roller coaster, fly me on a plane
You send me to another planet, get inside my brain
I knew right when I met you, I would never be the same
But I let you take me over, girl, so I'm the one to blame
You make all my screws come loose
Got me perfectly confused
Always find a way to mess me up and drive me wild
I love the way you make me lose my mind
Lose my mind, oh
You make me crazy and I kinda like it
You show me that apple, girl, and I wanna bite it
So crazy that I gotta have it
And I never wanna get outta this straight jacket
You make all my screws come loose
Got me perfectly confused
Always find a way to mess me up and drive me wild
I love the way you make me lose my mind
I feel the walls closing in inside this padded room
Only good thing about it is I'm locked in here with you
I'm always watching you, wondering what you'll do next
But my favorite part about it is, is I always have to guess
I love discovering new Christmas songs each season and Pandora is always great for this. I definitely love all the classics, but it's fun to find a few new ones each year to jam to. So here are the new ones for me this year!
Into the Silent Night by For King & Country
{New to me doesn't always mean new - this CD came out in 2013}
I'll Be Home - Meghan Trainor {2014}
Love is Christmas by Sara Bareilles {2012 and my fave this year!}
The More You Give (The More You'll Have) by Michael Buble {2015}
Baby Boy by For King & Country
Christmas is Coming by Jason Gray {2012}
White Winter Hymnal by Pentatonix {2014}
What new {to you} songs are you loving this Christmas season?
I'm linking up today with Show & Tell Tuesday to share the soundtrack to my life. Growing up, my parents played music in the house a lot. It was usually oldies or country. My parents were teenagers in the 60s and that music just can't be topped. I am a huge fan of The Temptations, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Three Dog Night...the list goes on and on. Then throw in some 80s George Straight, and I'm a happy camper! But the songs that will always bring my childhood back to me are:
Leaving on a Jet Plane by Peter, Paul, & Mary
Moonshadow by Cat Stevens
The Spirit of Aggieland
My parents chose these songs as our lullabies, and Patty and I sing them to our kids. I hope for generations to come these are the lullabies of my babies and their babies! Brent is the first and only significant relationship I have had. We had a lot of songs that were special to us back in the day. But one always brings a smile to my face and takes me back to good old PHS in 1997.
All My Life by K.C. and JoJo
Laugh if you want, but man this song makes my heart so happy!
I was never really a boy-bander. I couldn't stand NKOTB, Backstreet Boys, or *NSYNC. My roommate in college and I had a deal that she could listen to them when I wasn't in the room, and the same applied for a few of my 'twangier' country albums {Blackhawk, I'm looking at you}. BUT... my roommate and I did have one shared jam.
I Want it That Way by The Backstreet Boys
There were many lipsync parties to this song!
And I will confess to having a love of the 2nd tier boy band, 98 Degrees. Back in my short-lived TRL days!
The Hardest Thing by 98 Degrees
I also went through a really big Aerosmith and Queen phase in college. I guess taking it back to my parents' roots again. {grin} I may have wet myself {damn babies destroying my bladder control} jumping up and down during our morning of music trivia on Bourbon Street when Fat Bottomed Girls came on.
Killer Queen by Queen
This one gets me and my sister going! We think it's about cocaine though?
I had several Aerosmith CDs, and it's hard for me to pick 1 song as my favorite.
All my CD covers
Remember all the great videos? Cryin', Crazy, Living on the Edge, Jaded...ah, memories!
Janie's Got a Gun is definitely up there though!
Another song that always makes me smile and think of Brent is:
Any Old Love Won't Do by George Strait
It was almost our wedding song, but Brent didn't like the opening line to the song {I've seen ladies look at me with want to in their eyes} - I guess he had a point!
So instead our first dance song was:
There's No Way by Alabama
If this doesn't get to you, you don't have a heart!
As a mom, I'm enjoying sharing a lot of songs from my childhood with my kids. They definitely know The Beatles, have been sung a million versions of Moonshadow, we play the Disney Pandora station...but I also wanted a song to make our own.
Baby Mine
I can't watch that scene in Dumbo without crying but man that song is the best!
So there you have it - some of the songs that define my life!
The Grammy's are an interesting award show. Lots of risk taking and fun outfits. I {being a small-town girl from Texas} don't often get the outfits, but this year there weren't a ton of risks. Just a lot of blah.
I was underwhelmed by a lot of my faves.
Adele
Seriously? Snooze fest. What she wore to perform was WAY better.
Carrie Underwood
This fits her so weird and her hair is way too pageant/old lady.
Chrissy Teigen
Am I the only one bored by this?
Meghan Trainor
Glad she won Best New Artist but this does nothing for her!
Kaley Cuoco
Nothing about this looks good. Hair, make-up, fit, length.
Kim Schlapman
I include this because I would be sad to be wearing the same colors as T. Swift.
See below. {grin}
There were too many young girls wearing suits that looked wrong.
Demi Lovato
Zendaya
Of course there were some {to be expected} weird outfits.
Ciara
She obviously hasn't read any of my posts about how to show off your boobs.
And that is just way too much leg. I don't need to see her hip!
Lady Gaga
It's no meat dress, but just when she started to look normal more often than not!
Sam Hunt
I guess it could be worse...
Wiz Khalifa
Yup, and here is worse.
Jacqueline Van Bierk
I don't know who she is and don't want to!
Manika
Because the one thing we should cover completely is...our feet?
There were a few men working it.
Common
LL Cool J
Sam Smith
Although...is he not wearing socks?
There were some ladies who looked nice.
Anna Kendrick
By no means my favorite look of all-time but compared to the competition...
Ellie Goulding
I don't have a good reason for liking this - I just do!
Kacey Musgraves
This is really fun! I wish her lips were a brighter color.
And my favorites of the night were...
Selena Gomez
Ciara - take notes on how to show skin.
Taylor Swift
I mean seriously. Seriously. {And see what I mean about Kim Schlapman?}
Did you watch any of the show? What did you think of the fashion?
