The concert list

As a follow-up to the last post, here is my complete concert list, divided into 2 sections. The first includes anyone who I’ve seen perform as the main attraction (however the numbers may include festival performances and openers). The next section is mostly made up of artists I've only seen as part of a festival (CMA fest) or as an opening act.

• 1. Clay Walker (14)
• 2. Chuck Wicks (11)
• 3. Luke Bryan (10)
• 4. Love & Theft (8)
• 5. Backstreet Boys (7)
• 6. Keith Urban (5)
• 7. Craig Campbell (4)
• 8. David Nail (4)
• 9. Adam Gregory (3)
• 10. Josh Gracin (3)
• 11. Lee Brice (3)
• 12. Rodney Atkins (3)
• 13. Terri Clark (3)
• 14. Tim McGraw (3)
• 15. Alan Jackson (2)
• 16. Blake Shelton (2)
• 17. Heidi Newfield (2)
• 18. John Michael Montgomery (2)
• 19. Kenny Chesney (2)
• 20. LeAnn Rimes (2)
• 21. NKOTB (2)
• 22. Rascal Flatts (2)
• 23. Trent Tomlinson (2)
• 24. Beach Boys (1)
• 25. Little Texas (1)
• 26. Lorrie Morgan (1)
• 27. Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels (1)
• 28. Rod Stewart (1)
• 29. Shania Twain (1)

Only seen as opening act or at a festival:

• 1. Sara Evans (4)
• 2. Due West (3)
• 3. Jake Owen (3)
• 4. Jason Michael Carroll (3)
• 5. Miranda Lambert (3)
• 6. Sugarland (3)
• 7. Zac Brown Band (3)
• 8. Bomshel (2)
• 9. Brad Paisley (2)
• 10. Darius Rucker (2)
• 11. Jack Ingram (2)
• 12. Josh Turner (2)
• 13. Lady Antebellum (2)
• 14. Little Big Town (2)
• 15. Montgomery Gentry (2)
• 16. Phil Vassar (2)
• 17. Reba (2)
• 18. Taylor Swift (2)
• 19. Trace Adkins (2)
• 20. Blackhawk (1)
• 21. Dixie Chicks (1)
• 22. Chad Brock (1)
• 23. Gary Allen (1)
• 24. Gloriana (1)
• 25. The Farm (1)
• 26. Edens Edge (1)
• 27. Thompson Square (1)
• 28. Sarah Darling (1)
• 29. Katie Armiger (1)
• 30. Ashton Shepherd (1)
• 31. Sisqo (1)
• 32. Destiny’s Child (1)
• 33. Mandy Moore (1)
• 34. The Click Five (1)
• 35. Williams Riley Band (1)
• 36. Caitlin & Will (1)
• 37. Holly Williams (1)
• 38. Jessica Harp (1)
• 39. Whitney Duncan (1)
• 40. The Trailer Choir (1)
• 41. Willie Nelson (1)
• 42. Jessica Andrews (1)
• 43. Kid Rock (1+)
• 44. Brooks & Dunn (1)
• 45. Randy Houser (1)
• 46. Carrie Underwood (1)
• 47. Andy Griggs (1)
• 48. Ty Herndon (1)
• 49. Brett Kissel (1)
• 50. DJ Miller (1)
• 51. Ash Bowers (1)
• 52. Jason Aldean (1)
• 53. Justin Moore (1)
• 54. Easton Corbin (1)
• 55. Chris Young (1)
• 56. Alabama (2 songs)
• 57. Joe Nichols (1)
• 58. Dierks Bentley (1)
• 59. Eli Young Band (1)
• 60. Aaron Lewis (1)
• 61. Billy Dean (1)
• 62. Jamey Johnson (1)
• 63. The Judds (1)
• 64. John Rich (1)
• 65. LeeAnn Womack (1)
• 66. Martina McBride (1)
• 67. Scotty McCreery (1 song)
• 68. Troy Olson (1)
• 69. Josh Kelley (1)
• 70. The Band Perry (1)
• 71. The JaneDear Girls (1)
• 72. Clint Black (1)
• 73. Kevin Costner & Modern West (1)
• 74. Josh Thompson (1)
• 75. Craig Morgan (1 – GOO)
• 76. Andy Gibson (1)
• 77. Brent Anderson (1)
• 78. Frankie Ballard (1)
• 79. Dustin Lynch (1)
• 80. Kix Brooks (1)
• 81. Brett Eldredge (1)
• 82. Jana Kramer (1)
• 83. The Lost Trailers (1)

Please note that my memory is imperfect & so the list may not be entirely accurate. I may have left someone out or put a lower number than is correct.

My Top 5

A friend asked me a while back to compile a list of the artists/bands I've seen in concert. Rather than just throw a list up here & call it a day I'm gonna start with just the 5 I've seen the most of. Coincidentally I've actually met everyone on this short list. Anyway, here goes:

My #1: Clay Walker at 14 live performances:
I saw him the first time on September 10, 1998 from row K at Pine Knob after begging my mom to get tickets. Earlier that year his "Rumor Has It" album was the first cd I bought with my own money. Fourteen years later I still adore him.

2. Coming in 2nd at 11 performances is Chuck Wicks:
I first saw Chuck in 2008 & was hooked by his smooth voice & goofy personality. Now we're still waiting on album #2 to be released.

3. Coming in at a close 3rd with 10 performances is Luke Bryan:
I discovered his music when I first saw the video for "All My Friends Say" in June 2007. His fun, care-free spirit is contagious and I was craving more from then on.

4. Love & Theft takes 4th with 8 shows (6 when they were a trio & 2 after they became a duo):
I first discovered these boys by accident or fate. I bought tickets to a show of newcomers in Flint with the sole purpose of seeing Adam Gregory. When Adam was dropped I considered trying to get a refund, but I did end up going & found this incredibly talented group of guys.

5. And picking up the #5 spot is the Backstreet Boys with 7 performances (2 with NKOTB last summer):
The first came in 1999. My friend Edi introduced me to this group in '98, and when tickets went on sale for this show we were in line outside the Harmony House for hours to get tickets. They moved the line around the building & did some stupid lottery thing where they broke up the line again (trying to make things more random to dissuade people from camping out all night). The show sold out within minutes. Then another show was added, but that one sold out too. Then when we were 3rd in line the 3rd & final show sold out. BUT on the day of one of the concerts my mom & I went to Ticketmaster in the mall & BAM, new tickets had been released & we got 10 rows from the stage in the round.

Maybe tomorrow I'll post the whole list separately just for Kim. Until then, enjoy. ;)

Where does the time go?

Today I realized that I've sort of been living in a state of suspended animation. I feel like whenever I'm in school full time (or doing rotations now as the case may be) I put my life on hold, and all that exists is that educational commitment. I start a chunk of education & the next thing I know, all this time has gone by and I don't know where I've been. I don't know exactly when it began, but it's been like this for a while. During the school year (so to speak) I pour myself wholeheartedly into fulfilling my objectives, and I think that if I take time away to be a whole person and do volunteer work or take dance lessons or even go to church I might sacrifice my future. But if that's the case, is it really worth it?

So my next goal is to remember to try to be alive at the same time as while committing to what I have to do for my career. Medical school is a serious commitment, but it shouldn't be everything.

Everybody needs a little time away

It seems I get inspired to blog about once a month so here goes February! (Happy leap day btw)

As of February 17 I'm halfway through my 3rd year of med school, and I've been on my 3 week break. Since I'm not likely to get much time off in the near future my mom booked us a family vacation to the Bahamas so here's a little recap of the trip.

Day 1 - Sunday, Feb 19
We flew in from Detroit to Dallas to Nassau. For the first flight my mom & I were blessed with 2 small children sitting behind us that yelled, squealed, and kicked our seats for much of the 3 hours with no attempt from the parents to get them to behave. I mean seriously, you've gotta at least try. Anyway, we got to the resort about 4pm and explored a bit. Seeing various shapes in bikinis gave me the courage to wear my own brand new one - the first in a good 13 years I'd say. So here's my first beach trip in the Bahamas:


Day 2 - Monday, Feb 20
We took the bus downtown to see the sights, and we visited the Straw Market (don't ask me why I was surprised that they mainly sell straw woven crafts, [but also t-shirts, jewelry, and wooden carvings]) and some of the shops in the morning. Then in the afternoon we headed to the beach and I did some snorkeling. I was hoping to go kayaking, but unfortunately I learned that a red flag means the water is too rough for water sports. I stayed within the designated swimming area to avoid being run over by a jet ski, and I found a big star fish and a small variety of fishes, one of which played hide & seek with me in its little cement block home. At one point when I was coming back to shore a guy was bringing 2 star fish back to the water and handed me one:

I like the little suction cup feet. Yes, I took it back to its home after a short time examining it.

Afterwards we went to the main dining room for dinner, and then we caught the free shuttle to the casino where I played blackjack for almost the entire 2 hours on just $20 that my dad gave me. I was almost winning for a while.

Day 3 - Tuesday, Feb 21
Sea lion day! Before the trip I had done some google searches to see what we might want to do there, and I was sold on this one. Sure, most people prefer the dolphins, but sea lions just have these fun, goofy sort of personalities that lured me in. Plus, I think I just like to do things differently from the rest sometimes. ;) Anyway, we took a boat ride to Blue Lagoon Island where Dolphin Encounters is located, and we were taken to the sea lion area where we had a brief educational lecture about the fun-loving creatures. After that we went down to the dock and posed for pictures with a sea lion kissing our cheeks (Bonny was her name). Then we got into the (freezing) water and stood waist-deep while taking turns frolicking with Bonny's mom Maggie. We each got to stroke her soft fur, feed her a fish, shake her flipper, give her a hug, check out her tail and the little claws on her back flippers, and get a big ole kiss on the lips - Maggie's sort of a player, I bet she can't even name all the people she's kissed! Here's a picture of me & my dad with Maggie (purchased from the lovely photographer there):


That night we did manage to get reservations for the Garden of Eden Restaurant. Trying to get reservations for the 2 resort restaurants is ridiculous fyi, but the food was great and the atmosphere was lovely. And after dinner we watched some of the resort entertainment - they have a different show every night, and Tuesday included a guy juggling knives & torches.

Day 4 - Wednesday, Feb 22
We started the day off with a trip to the Ardastra Zoo. They have 41 animal exhibits and their claim to fame is a 1957 feature in National Geographic Magazine about their marching flamingos. A military man trained a bunch of flamingos to march in formation and follow commands. It was pretty cute, and you can get up close & personal with our feathered friends - one actually walked right into me. He didn't even apologize, dreadful manners.


This zoo also offers the opportunity to feed their Lory parrots, so of course I did that too. They provide apple slices and the birds stand on your hands (or shoulder or head) and enjoy the juice from the apples leaving somewhat of a mess of apple pieces (in your hand or your hair).

Besides the interactive attractions, I enjoyed the lemurs, various monkey species, and the big cats as well. And overall it was a cool experience to walk through the shady & lush gardens rather than the typical concrete atmosphere of the American zoos I have visited. It felt more intimate & natural.

Anyway, then we spent the afternoon by the pool, and I participated in a balloon toss with my dad, beach bowling (which I suck at), and bingo poolside. In between these resort activities I soaked up some rays and enjoyed some of Richard Castle's "Heat Rises."

Wednesday night we had dinner at the resort's other fancy restaurant, Martino's. This waiter, Keno, provided even better service, and the food was fabulous. We again went to the nightly show, listening to Funky D & the Summer Breeze band and watching cabaret performances involving Grease & Michael Jackson & Tina Turner. The performers were all quite talented.

Day 5 - Thursday, Feb 23
Naturally, being the day we left, this was the only day where there was a green flag enabling all water sports. We left at 12:30pm and were welcomed home to Michigan around 11pm with a snow storm.

Since this was an uneventful day I'll throw in a family photo from Martino's:

Drivers Beware

As any of my friends would know, I have recently had to make a lot of repairs to my car. This is a story that I think the less car savvy should be informed of so that they don't get taken by the dishonest mechanics of the world.

A couple of weeks ago I got my muffler replaced, and after that noise was resolved I started to hear another sound that worried me: a clunking, rubbing, dragging sort of noise. So I took my car back to the Muffler Man that had just changed my muffler to have them check it out. Less than half an hour later I'm reduced to tears as one of the mechanics informs me that I need new front wheel bearings that will set me back $244, and that if I don't get it done soon my right wheel will fly off & likely kill somebody as I drive down the expressway. As I cry, the guy tells me it's ok and not so bad, and he makes me an offer to work on my car on the side for only $150. But I can't tell his employers because he'd get fired.

Well, for some reason or other I was skeptical that the wheel bearings were truly my problem. So I did some research & called my mom & planned to take my car to a mechanic that my friend recommended for a second opinion. My research (and my mother's conversation with a trusted mechanic back home) indicated that faulty wheel bearings would result in a humming or grinding noise (not my clunking that I was hearing) and a great deal of wobbling if they were bad enough to need to be replaced as emergently as this mechanic had led me to believe.

Fast forward to a few days later when I manage to get an appointment with the recommended mechanic in town. This guy first impressed me by caring enough to fit me into his schedule to make sure my car was safe before I wanted to travel out of town. He then spent greater than 30 minutes examining my car, and he comes back & tells me that my wheel bearings are fine. Some big branch auto mechanics will hustle customers for new wheel bearings because they are expensive but easy to replace, and big commercial companies pay their mechanics based on commission. He let me know that the noise was due to bad rear struts but that getting that fixed wasn't necessary & would just be an expensive repair to get rid of the noise. He did recommend that at some point I should get my back breaks adjusted (or something) because they haven't been working & that would cause my front breaks to go bad faster (which explains why I had to just get those replaced again this past summer), BUT that's less than $60. I then left without having to pay anything.

So the purpose of this is just to tell my fellow drivers to be careful who you trust before shelling out the cash. If you are able, get second opinions and shop around. Unfortunately for Muffler Man, this one bad employee of theirs has cost them all future business from me.

What happened to you?

I recently had an encounter with a 3-year-old who had developed a mysterious limp. Dad asked what happened & the kid shrugs. I ask what happened & the kids shrugs. Dad asks "Did you drop something on your foot?" Kid nods yes. I ask "Did you fall?" Kid nods yes. I ask "Did you step on something?" Kid nods yes. Dad asks "Did you close your foot in the door?" Kid shakes head no. Well, at least we established that the kid did NOT close a foot in the door. So we accept that kids will sometimes just be a mystery.


Enter Miss R. "What happened?" Kid: "A wolf bit me."

"Really? Do you have a wolf?" Kid shakes head no.

"Where was the wolf? Was the wolf in your house?" Kid nods yes.

"Well who let him in? Did you let the wolf in?" Kid agrees again. The child also went on to explain "I shooted the wolf though." Whew, good thing that dangerous beast in the house was taken care of. Wouldn't want him to go around biting more kids!


So the moral of today's story is that if a small child won't tell you how they got hurt, you should keep asking or get more people to ask. They may just be trying to hide that they let a wolf in the house.

Thanksgiving Reflections

So this year was the first in 3 years that I got to spend Thanksgiving with my family. Brief recap: 2009 was my first holiday away ever, and I ordered Thanksgiving dinner through the school and it was possibly the saddest event ever. Seriously, I went to bed hungry and lonely. In 2010, I had planned on boycotting Thanksgiving due to the happenings of the previous year. I had every intention of getting Chinese food & pretending the holiday didn't exist. But something sort of awesome happened. A large group of students & families planned a feast, and it ended up being a great time & a true expression of the day. You can see here for more about that.

So anyway, now it's 2011 (newsflash, I know), and I found out in October that I was being gifted the return of a family Thanksgiving since we would have our exams on the day before. Now don't get me wrong, it was nice to be with everyone, but I feel like it wasn't a real Thanksgiving. Throughout the whole day there was no acknowledgement of what we were thankful for. It was actually sort of stressful because, well, you know, you've gotta plan who's going where & what time, and you don't want to exclude anybody, but then you just can't be in 2 places at once. So my parents & I had a dinner at 1pm with my mom's side of the family and another at 3pm with my dad's side, and it felt like more of just going through the motions than really taking the time that the day was meant for. And now I'm going to take a few moments to actually think about the things in my life that I am thankful for, because God is pretty awesome, and crap can happen sometimes, but there's always something good.

I am thankful for:
1. my loving & supportive parents (even though they drive me crazy sometimes)
2. my awesome little furball, Storm, that brings me a smile at least once a day (even though he drives me crazy a lot of times*)
3. the opportunity to learn new things
4. the comforts of home, ie my pillow
5. clean water and the fact that I have never had to go hungry
6. good friends
7. good music
8. my lack of any serious ailments (when you're healthy you don't really give it much thought, but being able to walk & breathe & all that basic stuff is pretty awesome)
9. adventures (see previous posts & read my mind about some of the incredible opportunities I've had**)
10. books & games
11. my contacts, without which the world would be a much more terrifying place where people have no faces
12. hugs & smiles

*for example, I have had to take away my razor from the tiny monster 3 times tonight, in addition to stopping him from drinking my water & apple juice, chewing on the Christmas tree skirt, and falling into the toilet when running & jumping at full speed
**okay, since you may have difficulty breaking into my mind this evening a few of the things I've loved are: a Caribbean cruise, canyoning, frequent snorkeling trips, vacations to Niagara Falls, Las Vegas, Disney World, and repeat rounds of CMA Music Fest... yes, this is a very truncated list

Ok, I'm satisfied with that list. Time to hit the hay. Good night.