Back To Where We Started - Nashville

"What are you gonna do with all your Southern style..."

I was looking forward to leaving for this weeklong trip to see 100 Monkeys & Co. for so long I can't even tell you. This was the culmination of... well... of everything.

I left the boys last in Tulsa... each goodbye getting harder and harder... the time between seeing them this time was the longest it's ever been -- 26 days, to which Jerad replied that was far "too long".

I concur.

Jennifer and I (plus our road dog, Isabella) drove from Kansas City down to Nashville where we met up with Willow, Jessie and Kasey. (Willow & Jessie hopped aboard the Rock Van with us to make the trip through Legacy...)

I instantly loved the venue when we arrived... it had a badass wall of artists... not sure if they were just random artists or artists who had played there. (I like to believe it was the latter.)

We got there fuckearly and walked around a little bit... finding a great parking space behind the venue. (The boys ended up parking right by us so after the show there were hordes of *clears throat* ...people... surrounding our van and theirs. Scary shit.)

As you may (or may not) know by now, I have a pretty extreme sleeping disorder... I rarely sleep, sometimes by choice, most times it's just because my mind will not shut down... I used to be able to fall asleep with Benadryl but now even prescription sleeping pills don't really do it for me...

I digress... *Willow*

Blah, blah, I fell asleep in the van... I was like a "school sleep", where you're not really sleeping and you're not really awake... but it was the first sleep I had gotten in two or three days, so I was happy to have anything.

I awoke to the boys Twittering... quite a bit that day, actually... which made me anticipate their arrival even more... I colored photos and sent them back via Twitter to them. (@hello_jodie) ...and then, all the sudden when I wasn't looking I saw the Monkey van in the rear view mirror, quickly followed by the Scion.

*insert beaming face of joy here*

I said hellos and I missed you's, did the hug thing & gave them a present... I didn't really get to say anything to Jerad and he always peaces out so quickly after load in (damn you, best friend) ...so I asked Jake if he would go get him since I had a special gift to give him...

Several minutes later Jerad came out and gave me a hug and my high five. (Which I missed sooo hard in those 26 days!) ...My dog was barking at the window (she hates strangers... and men. LOL) and he goes, "who is that?" I said that it was my dog and he asked if he could pet her.

...Now, what I should have said was, "do you not see this vicious dog attacking the window...?" But instead I said, "she's not nice; she'll bite you."

His response verbatim?

"YES."

So... Jerad willingly got mauled by my dog.

It was awesome.

I don't normally share stories, but that one was just too awesome and I knew that it would make y'all laugh. I want you all to picture Jerad getting attacked by a 3lb teacup Chihuahua.

This Chihuahua:

Epic.

Some photos from the show:

After the show I got to say to them what I had been waiting so long to say, "I'll see you tomorrow..." such a simple sentence, yet it meant so much to me... and thus our week began.

Next stop? Birmingham, Alabama.

Preview?

Fuckawesome, Jerad. (Check out the blur from his hands? Too much rock, my friend.)

Rock on. Please take the time to comment. :)

Jodie

Mini Update

I am back from my very long (yet seemingly short) trip and have started editing my photos. They will be posted in batches.

The shows:
Nashville
Birmingham
Memphis
Little Rock with Tin Tin Can
Dallas (3 shows)

I will have a blog post per batch of new photos.

Next, I just wanted to say that this week was easily the best of my life and I had many moments of realization that I am truly lucky and blessed to get the opportunity to do this.

Also, the thoughtfulness of others has impressed me beyond belief.

I will try to update soon.

Jodie

Is It Ever Gonna Be Enough?

Not sure what there is to say today, but I feel the need to blog... 

Today has been a hard day for me. Lots of hard times, some realizations about heavy matters. 

I'm drinking tonight.

You know, funny thing. I'm drinking wine out of a box and eating cheese wrapped in plastic. I feel like Britney Spears. 

Watching Twister; that's definitely the most played movie that I own, but that doesn't make it my favorite. We rented Couples Retreat. I saw it with my mama but Jenn had never... First time I saw it I cried. Strange, I'm sure, for it being a comedy... But it's true. 

I think I cried because of the bond between husband and wife... Mmm... That's all I want to say about that.

I complained on Twitter about no one really taking the time to know me, that everyone just talks about themselves... And with that, I got flooded with questions about my favorite color, my photography, 100 Monkeys... It was so sweet to see people give effort. It really touched me.

I have been listening to Metric "Gold Guns Girls" all day. It's reminded me of someone, and probably not the someone you expect... 

Third glass of wine in. Sitting with the window open watching the sunset. 

Better luck next time. 

 

I Want To Pick Peaches Off A Cherry Tree

"Yours is the first face that I saw, I think I was blind before I met you, 
Now I don't know where I am, I don't know where I been,
But I know where I want to go, so I thought I would let you know, 
These things take forever, I especially am slow, 
But I realize that I need you and I wondered if I could come home..." 

I reckon y'all will always be able to tell when I'm blogging from my computer and when I'm blogging from my iPhone... iPhone doesn't come with pretty icons and lyrics-a-dozen. ;)

Ten days until I head to Nashville to see 100 Monkeys. You know... Nashville is a very special place where Monkeys are concerned...

(It's where I first met Jackson, if you didn't get that by the photo...)

So very much has changed since November. It's quite mind-blowing actually... the distance that myself and these boys have come...

I won't go into all the changes, of course, but I will say that I will forever live by the words, "be careful what you wish for..." that's the motto to my life and has been since August 2009.

I eventually plan on getting that tattooed on the inside of my left arm... when the time is right. Not a moment sooner.

This photo sort of makes me laugh now... I still love it and cherish it, still smile at it... not like I used to back when it was first taken (now there are other photos I have that make me smile bigger than I ever thought imaginable...) but wow... yeah.

I already have plans for my birthday, can you believe that? I'm not even 25.5 yet and I have plans to turn 26. Of course, nothing set in stone... but surprisingly, none of it revolves around presents.

I guess it makes sense to plan out my life throughout the year... it's a pretty full year. Oh and by the way... so far, 25 has been the best year of my life. ;) I guess we'll see how the next 8 months or so plan out though before we go calling it "the best year ever". Gonna end with a bang, though. I assure you of that.

Picture of the Day:

Tulsa, OK... "Wings On Fire"

j.action & j.rad.









Rock on.

A New Take On Double Standards: Pain

Is it fair for a man to be in pain, but not a woman? Fair for a man to hold in his secret feelings, but not a woman? Fair for a man to drown his pain in alcohol and pills but not a woman?

I guess it's just me being naïve again, thinking life is fair.

I can and have every right to be aggravated, moody, distracted, withdrawn... Just so much as anyone else does. Believe me, I am TRYING to be strong, to hold up my world and focus towards the happy, but it's hard and it's even harder when I don't get any support when [they] get all the support in the world.

Just when I was ready for the light again, just when I was ready to TRY... I'm going to stick myself back in my shell again.

Fuck off.

Where I Have Been

Withdrawal

Websters definition for withdrawal:

1 a : the act of taking back or away something that has been granted or possessed b : removal from a place of deposit or investment c (1) : the discontinuance of administration or use of a drug (2) : the syndrome of often painful physical and psychological symptoms that follows discontinuance of an addicting drug (a heroin addict going through withdrawal)

2 a : retreat or retirement especially into a more secluded or less exposed place or position b : an operation by which a military force disengages from the enemy c (1) : social or emotional detachment (2) : a pathological retreat from objective reality (as in some schizophrenic states)

...Well... That definitely describes me on more than one level, doesn't it?

It's 12 days until Nashville...

Music. Benadryl. That shirt. Alcohol. Good friends.  

Blog 401: From iPhone

Another post from my iPhone... I suppose that this is better than not having any posts at all, however, I do miss my icon, lyics and photo of the day.

Today I am bored and thoughtful. Full of thoughts.

What I am about to talk about stems back several weeks, however for whatever reason it's really bugged me today.

Why must people tell your heart how to beat?

It's one thing for someone to tell you what to eat, what to wear, where to be and who to be friends with... (not hat I would EVER stand for any of those things...) but for someone to either tell you, "hey don't waste your time," or to flat out tell you that you don't love someone is absolutely ridiculous.

I can't help how my heart beats.

No one can.

I won't go further into my own side of this, but I will say that I would gladly stand up for anyone who was blessed enough to say that they found love. Myself? I'm not in a relationship. I'm not in love. (Per se...) But I just don't like when people tell me how to be.

Swiftly moving on...

Jenn & I bought 100 Monkeys tickets for the week we will be seeing the boys! Nashville, Birmingham, Memphis & then I had to buy my day show ticket for Legacy. :) 7 concerts in 6 days. God. I am so fucking ready for this.

16 days until Nashville.

There's the hard part.

I ache to see the boys. I miss them all so much already. :( I may try to take my mind off of some of that and go shopping for them later. I already have 5 of Jay's lighters. DUDE! Hahaa!! I can't wait.

Jennifer and I watched Where The Wild Things Are last night... It was pretty good... Carol was especially perfect. "You're the first king we haven't eaten..." it made me cry but it still wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. We rented 2012 to watch tonight...

So... I just realized that 90% of the people who read this know nothing about me... They just know me from Monkeyness... So is there anything that you would like to know? Anything regardig travel? Photography? Or anything about me...?

I'd be more than happy to answer any questions. :)

Good to see some new commenters!!!! Thanks for reading.

Mucho love, dude.

Jodie

Let's Try To Blog From My iPhone

This should definitely be different. I once tried to blog here from my iPod touch in an airport blog and it didnt work... I may have found a way around that...

Looks like I am smarter than I look.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to read the last two blogs about my trips to see 100 Monkeys. Also, if you checked out my photos, thank you so much. I am definitely already facing withdrawal head on.

Some may not understand this.

Some may look at my life from the outside and judge, saying, "how can Jodie even have room to complain?" (I am also aware that they say more about me than just that.)

it's actually became quite alarming the amount of realization I have had over the last 24 hours... I realized that I am gossiped about probably just as much as those beautiful primates that I adore so much... I realized that promises are just words you say to shut people up... And my friend (who I won't name, but she knows who she is...) helped me realize that I do, in fact, cherish this life that has fallen into my lap.

I have never been an ungrateful person; I have been called a lot of things in life, but never once have I been called ungrateful.

Wait, I have another realization...

A separate friend helped me to hold on, which is a realization of my strength. She has faith in me that I can, which makes me believe & hope that she isn't wrong. (She hasn't steered me wrong just yet!)

We are at about 17 days until I see the boys again... This is goig to kill me, I swear. I am trying so hard for a specific memory to hold me over until then, but my mind is infested with horrible thoughts; it rolls around in dust and filth, clouding reality and my memories.

I have a bit of a dilemma.

When I head to Nashville to see Monkeys I won't be coming back until after Dallas... (around the 25th or so...) I will actually be photographing 7 shows in a 6 day time period and while I will have my iPhone for email & updates, I am not bringing my computer along. So... Dilemma is... Upon my arrival back home in KC I should have aprox somewhere close to 3,000 photos to edit. (On the conservative side.)

O_O

Yep.

But then... After lord knows how long of editing... I know there will be some VERY happy fans out there.

Let's hope this posts...

Jodie