Johnnyswim

I spent an evening last week with my best friend in the NoDa Art District. We were at the Neighborhood Theatre and I have to say the venue is pretty cool. Very open, relaxed atmosphere and acoustically awesome (you could hear them clearly in any part of the building!)

We had the pleasure of getting to see JohnnySwim. They are a married duo from Nashville and they are amazing. The woman Amanda Sudano is Diana Ross' daughter! Talk about talent! Now I remember seeing a song by them in 2013 called Heartbeats and I loved it, but then I didn't hear about them again until this year when Nicole told me about their album finally coming out and they were headed to Charlotte on tour. Apparently I'm the last one in the house to listen to them because both of my roomies have been blasting them over the last couple of months. 

Their opener was named Liz Longley and she is great! Another artist coming out of Nashville I was really able to relate to most of her songs and my friend even bought her CD. She was out front selling them herself btw so we got to talk to her and everything. I didn't get to record any videos of her because of memory saving tactics on my phone, but enjoy this grainy action pic and a YouTube video of the song I love called "Camaro". This is my absolute favorite of hers. Mostly because I relate to it completely. Dealing with heartbreak is rough.

"Camaro"

So before the Johnnyswim concert I listened to their new album on repeat and I have to say I quickly developed some favorites. Check out their album "Diamonds" if you get a chance. You won't regret it. I only videoed snippets of my favorites. Take the World, A Million Years, and Pay Dearly are at the top. Enjoy my videos and pics, even though they do not do them justice!

 Heartbeats Video

 A Million Years (close you eyes and the video wont be so bad lol)

Mama, I Love You...

Today is Mother's Day, so its a celebration of the woman that brought you into this world, or who raised you, or was just there for you in any capacity. Now we definitely live in a world where a "mother" can be any type of woman, not just someone who gave birth to you. I applaud all the women (and some men) who are mother figures in people's lives. Because we all need that. Someone who cares about us and has set a good example. I applaud all of you.

So this is a post about who else? My Mom...my Mommy; my Mama, or whatever name I feel like calling her at the time. I want to talk about how awesome my dear old Mom is. Okays she's not old. Actually she pretty young and its awesome the fact that you really can't tell how old she is. But she has a 27 year old daughter so that's kind of a dead giveaway of what age she is near (sorry Mom, I know you want your age to be a secret, but you can't be 35!). When I was in high school people would be like "OMG you look like sisters!" and I would just roll my eyes. But seriously. We could be.

But back to how awesome she is. There are hundreds of reasons why my mother is amazing. And if it wasn't for the fact that this post would be sooooo long and no one would read it, I've narrowed it down to 3 important ones.

My mother is awesome because....

1. She is the Queen Diva. Period. Now let me elaborate. All my shopping addictions; all my interest in fashion and shoes, and creating "looks"; that all comes from my mother. My shoe collection is not even close to half of hers. And neither is my closet. I'm pretty sure between the two of us we could provide everything for an entire season of ANTM. My mother has never been afraid to try new things with hair, make-up, etc. Now I'm doing the same thing in my 20s and I'm realizing more that at one point my mother may have already done it. I appreciate the fact that she let's me be me. And even though I'm just the Princess Diva, I'm following in her footsteps quite nicely.

pretty sure this is where my leopard obsession came from

2. She has always been my #1 support. For as long as I can remember I have always been involved in activities. Gymnastics, Cheerleading, Show Choir, Theater...The list goes on and on. These things kept me busy and ultimately out of trouble. But my mother was the one who was taking me to and from practice, in the stands of every game, and being a ear for me when I need to vent. I always knew that when I needed her she was there, cheering me on. I can even go back further and remember her being my Girl Scout Troop Leader. It was never my dad that I depended on when it came to these things, always my mom. I love her for that because I know what its like to always have someone in my corner. It has made me see how important it is.

3. She's my best friend. Okay I am not a gross mushy person (although lately I have been) but my mother has always been the one person I have wanted to turn to with all my issues. And even with good news she is the first person I want to call and tell. She listens to me and also offers advice if I need it. Most of the time its things that I never want to admit to myself. But because its coming from her, I know its the truth and from a good place. We have had a some rocky moments that have tested our relationship, but in the end it has made us closer.

So I celebrate my mother today, and everyday. I love you!