| SSC3D |

Last Thursday night we were back at the Alabama Theater for an unforgettable concert.

There may be no way to humble brag my way through this post, because I had just the best time!

Steven Curtis Chapman and Third Day were touring together and stopped in Birmingham for a concert at the Alabama.  I kept hearing the ads run on the radio (north to south culture shock: SO MUCH CHRISTIAN RADIO!) and texted Josh to say "does this sound fun?!?"  

Yes!

I ordered tickets for the two of us and then he contacted one of his awesome Birmingham mover and shaker friends who said "Can you be downtown at 5:30 for a backstage meet & greet?" 

Yep, we can do that.

She ushered us though the theater into one of the back rooms where we laughed and joked around with the WDJC radio crew (they are a blast!) until the band came through.  I was closest to the door so Josh and I met Mr. Chapman first.  Josh is always great about remembering to get a photo and keeping the conversation going, I'm like like "hey!".  

Marrying him has reduced my social anxiety by approximately 972%.

We talked bbq and being introverted with the drummer to Third Day, snapchatted with another band member and just soaked up the gloriousness that is Mac Powell's vocal cords.

The hilarious morning show hosts, Roxanne and Chris!

 Between the the two of them, Steven Curtis Chapman and Third Day have something like 70 number one hits.  That's pretty incredible.  They sang through a ton of them, I kept expecting them to wrap up, but they played on.  Their own songs, each others songs, through them together.  I loved hearing Mac Powell sing through SCC's well known songs, their vocal qualities are very different and he brings such a different sound and depth.

The crowd was alive as they kicked off the concert with a stand-and-holler version of "Sweet Home Alabama"!  And then shut it down with "The Great Adventure" and "Soul on Fire" with everyone singing along.

Absolutely memorable.

| What a Bright & Blessed Day |

I was running through the Targets the other day and stopped dead...

With all the moving and marriage and excitement, I hadn't realized that I now live within driving distance of Blue Bell Ice Cream.

Which is probably a bad thing, since I also discovered that the Cherry Vanilla is over the moon delicious.  

But don't worry, Josh and I have an ice cream strategy.  

It's going pretty well...

| Weekending | 4.10.2016 |

We wandered into the Alabama Theater last Sunday, baseball hats, jeans and Revelator iced coffee in hand.  Josh wanted to show me around before we went to see what the cool kids were doing at the food truck rally a few blocks over.  The door was unlocked and he pulled me into the lobby.

It felt like a sacrilege.

The iced coffee that is.

The renovations were breathtaking.  High ceilings, sconces and chandeliers, the funkiest restrooms with oriental influence.  The checkerboard floors, the walls, the little red details on the end of each row of chairs... Everything was perfect.  Josh gave me the tour for a change and told me about the events that he worked and about the one time that he was trying to rent the theater and the old director talked his ear off and played the organ for him for hours.

Golly, I love these old buildings and the people who keep them alive.

We happened upon a concert for said organ.  It was absolutely perfect.  The two of us up in the balcony as an audience of 15 people (that had to be the max), listened to someone from some theater organ association played jazz and standards on a gorgeous old organ for an hour. 

I felt I'd stepped into a movie, a perfectly time musical, the kind where the girl goes off to work in show business and somehow we just watch and pretend that that's a respectable profession to choose.  It was wonderful.  And Josh just shakes his head at this girl he married and the crazy things that she gets into.  

Things like old theaters and impromptu organ concerts and waiting out in the sun for 2 hours to get a taste of Eugene's Hot Chicken.

It was worth it.

| Well, hello |

On March 19, 2016 I married my best friend, Mr. Joshua Michael Walsh.  He won me over, heart and soul.  Then made me his mrs. and a southern belle.  Dreams do come true.

We planned our wedding in 10 weeks flat, honeymooned on a perfect tropical island and moved me to Birmingham, Alabama.  I'm currently soaking up every minute of life in the "Land O' Chik Fil A" and everything that is big city living.  (Population Lake Geneva, WI: 7,710, Population Birmingham, AL: 212,113.  See!)

These past three weeks have been the sweetest and happiest of my life, everyday we wake up and say "Can you believe we're here?" and then we fall asleep and say "I never want this to end.".  If you've ever met Josh Walsh, you know he's the kindest and funniest person in the world, living with him has proven that even more true than I could have known.  

Deeply in love here in this Magic City.