So behind

I was away for a few days and am behind in my blogging. My apologies to all of you (huh?) that have been curled into a ball crying your eyes out.

Get up, get a tissue, wipe your eyes, and breathe deep.

It will be okay.

Linds is still too thin, Suri still isn't wearing shoes, Brit is still keeping it together, and John Krasinski still won't return my calls that I make on my pretend phone.

Was in Nashville for the CMA Festival with my Aunt Lori, The Diva, and loyal reader and Penn State graduate, Erin. We had a blast and would like to thank all those in TN for their hospitality and courteous nature. I would also like to thank God and the power of Pepto for getting me through a stomach virus at a most inconvenient time.

Did someone say tornado warning? No? Well, you should. Because we had one. First night of the Festival was delayed for 3 hours due to severe storms. It was quite a sight. Are you there, God? It's me, a Darius Rucker fan. Please don't let me die without seeing him perform some of his solo material.

Thankfully, Erin's flight delay actually worked out okay, as she only missed Brooks & Dunn and two songs by Reba. Did I mention that B&D performed for 45 minutes? Ummm....I know it wasn't just my upset stomach wishing that would end.

After fearing for our lives within the glass-enclosed Club Level, the rain finally came to an end and the concert resumed....at 12:30 Friday morning! Say what, now? It's true. The concert actually resumed. We were all stunned. The question then became, who remained to perform? Was this Julianne Hough's time to shine as she starts her music career? Or was some crew member going to emerge from the shadows and perform his version of "Ring of Fire" because all of the professional acts ran for the hills?

Luckily, Joe the Roadie was not on the schedule for the early morning concert. (Sorry, Joe. Your time will come soon!). The doofy MC announced that it was "Capitol Records recording artist, Darius Rucker!!!!" Yee-Haw and all that, bitches! Darius not only flashed his pearly whites, but he also kicked our collective asses with 4 songs and a two-step to boot! Hootie is here and you all better bow down. Wipe the rain from your face and try to keep up with his fancy footwork. His foray into the crowd during his last song (which The Diva told me was "Family Tradition" by Hank Williams, Jr.) was the capper to his lively performance. It was just what we needed after fearing that we were going to be swept up by a tornado and thrown into a tree in Oz. Thank you, Darius!

Dierks Bentley and Brad Paisley rounded out the early morning show, which ended at 2:00am. All three men were energetic and appreciative of the crowd that stayed through the rain. As someone who isn't too familiar with country music, I was impressed and thought it was a great start to the 4-day Festival.

Tomorrow: Pass the Pepto and bring on Night 2.