The Rest of the Story

Back in late April, I wrote a post about how I saw Chris Young in concert while I was in Texas.

It was such a fun night with my youngest sister, Kate. 

It occurred to me last week, though, that I didn't tell the rest of the story.  (Whenever that phrase runs through my head, I totally hear Paul Harvey saying it.)

So, here it is...

The night of the concert, Kate and I were sitting in the stands chatting, and she mentioned that she would be guest bartending for Bacardi that coming Thursday night. She was all excited because she'd be in the compound (I think that's what they call it) where the artists park their buses and relax for a little while, away from the crowds.

She read me the list of stars who would be possibly stopping by, and it was an impressive group of country artists. I recognized nearly all the names on the list -- even the singers who were more popular five or ten years ago -- because 1) I've been a huge country music fan since high school; 2) I listen to a lot of country music on Pandora and the radio; and 3) I watch the GAC Top 20 Country Countdown (with Nan Kelly -- who seems like such a doll!) every Friday when I run on the treadmill.

So, I was super excited for Kate to have such an awesome opportunity, and I told her as much. 

Four days later, I was back at home sweeping the floor in our kitchen, when my phone vibrated. I pulled it out of my back pocket, and there was a text message from my sister with this photo attached.

Photo Credit: Katie Meredith

Ladies and gentlemen, the broom hit the floor. And I do believe my jaw dropped as well.

Then, I texted as fast as my little fingers would go: "SHUT. UP." (Yes, in all caps like you're never supposed to do. But in my defense, I was yelling in my head.)

Yeah, I know my response wasn't very eloquent or original, but it was genuine.

I really couldn't believe it! Seconds earlier, Chris Young had been standing right in front of my little sister, talking to her.

What?!

I wish I could have texted, #Imcominover. Ha! 

And not only did she meet Chris Young, but a friend of his -- you might have heard of him -- Blake Shelton. (For you non-country fans, yes, he's the tall and funny guy from The Voice.)

Kate loves Blake Shelton. (She said it was so cool to hear Blake's laugh in person.) But she really adores his wife, Miranda Lambert, who unfortunately, didn't make an appearance that night. (I hope Kate gets to meet Miranda one day.)

And of course, I'm all about Team CY.

I can't lie: When I saw the photo above, I was just a teeny bit peanut butter and jealous. I mean, Kate did get to meet my favorite country music singer. ever. (evah! is how I say it.)

But the jealousy disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, and I wanted to know details. Like...what did you say? What did he say? And who's that guy on the right? (She had no idea.)

Kate said Chris was just the nicest guy. She told him that she attended his concert a few days before in Grand Prairie, and he said it was a record crowd. He tipped her $20 (way to go, CY!) and she snapped this shot. 

Totally. awesome. Amiright?!

For the next hour or so, Kate texted me each time she saw or met a new country music artist.

It was fun for me because, even though I was 1500 miles away, it felt like I was kind of there with her. And let's be real: it was a heck of a lot more interesting than the laundry I was folding or the carpet I was vacuuming or the dishes I was scrubbing.

And if that wasn't cool enough, Kate (and her husband) also attended the 50th Annual ACM Awards Show at Dallas Cowboys Stadium a couple of days later. (Working for Bacardi clearly comes with some awesome sauce perks!)

Oh, and one more thing -- if you'll indulge me.

Today happens to be Chris Young's 30th birthday (he's a fellow Gemini), so I'd like to send out birthday wishes to him.

Here's wishing CY 30+ more years of writing and performing music, good health, and an abundance of happiness.

Bluebonnets, Brisket & Blue Bell

If you're a regular reader, you know that a couple of weeks ago, I traveled to Dallas, Texas for a Confidence Photography Workshop.

Before my trip, I was chatting with my sister, Kate (who lives in Dallas), and she asked what I wanted to see and do and eat while I was there. Okay, in all fairness, she didn't ask about food, but I love to eat, especially in the South, so I piped up about my food favorites. (I'll get to those in a minute.)

Warning: If you're hungry right now, just enjoy the bluebonnets, and do not, I repeat, do not scroll down for the must-eat section. You just might gobble up your computer monitor!

Back to the must-sees...I shared with Kate that I hoped the infamous Texas bluebonnets would be in bloom when I was there.

And as you can see, luck was on my side.


They were there in abundance.


Before I arrived, Kate had scoped out several great spots along the freeway where we could easily pull over and take photos of the Texas state flower.


Like I'm doing right here. (If you follow me on Instagram, @jharless, you've already seen this photo.)

Bluebonnets, check.

Now to the must-eats!

Dallas has some of the best food in the state of Texas. (I hear Austin is a close second.)


First up on my must-eat list: brisket. 

My sister and brother-in-law took me to dinner at Spring Creek restaurant, where I ate brisket (the cook referred to it as inland caviar...ha!), mac and cheese, beans, potato salad, and a roll.

I devoured everything on my plate, but left a little room for dessert.

So, Kate and I shared a slice of peach pie and a scoop of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream. So heavenly!

It's no wonder my jeans were tighter when I left Texas than when I arrived.

I'll likely be back in Dallas in the next year. If you live there or visit frequently, what would you recommend I see, eat, or experience when I'm there next?

That Time I Saw Chris Young Perform in Texas

I'm kind of a fan of country singer Chris Young. #understatementoftheyear

I adore his baritone voice, and I think he's easily one of the most gifted singer/songwriters in Nashville.

So, you can imagine how excited I was to get to see him play live while I was in Texas a few weeks ago for the Confidence Photography Workshop.

See that big 'ol smile on my face?! It's because I'm standing next to Chris. Ha! Chris, on the other hand, doesn't look too amused. I wonder, "Why the long face?"

But I digress...

The crazy thing is, when I embarked on my trip to Texas, I had no idea I'd be seeing Chris live in concert.

Here's the back story: 

Three Friday nights ago, I was sitting in my hotel room in Texas, checking my Instagram feed. (I'm a total party animal!) Actually, I had just gotten back from a meet-and-greet with eight women from the Confidence Photography Workshop-- and I was trolling through IG before heading down to the treadmill to run. (In other words, I was in serious procrastination mode.)

And there, to my surprise, was Chris Young playing in San Antonio. (Yes, I stalk, ahem, follow Chris on Instagram. Smile.) I thought to myself, "If he's playing in San Antonio, maybe there's a chance he'll be in Dallas in the next few days."

The following morning, I checked his schedule, and my hunch was indeed right: Chris was scheduled to play at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas that night.

Being from Northern California, I had no idea where Grand Prairie was located in relation to Dallas. So, naturally, I googled: How long does it take to get from Dallas to Grand Prairie, TX? (Totally forgetting I was in Plano, not Dallas. Der.)

The answer: 17 minutes.

Eeeeeeek!

I freaked out. In a good way.

I yelled out, "Holy #@&!" to no one in particular since I was in my hotel room all. by. myself. (I think I just may need this shirt.)

Then, I did a little happy dance from the bed to the bathroom and back. (Kind of like this.)

And then, it occurred to me that there were a few minor details still to hammer out, if I planned to go to Chris Young's concert that night.  

For one thing, who would go with me? I was pretty sure my sister would accompany me, and being the rad person that she is, she said "yes" without any hesitation. (Thank you, Kate!)

And then there was the drive from Plano to Grand Prairie. It turns out it wasn't seventeen minutes like Google had said (total user error), but more like 40+ minutes.

I didn't have a rental car because my awesome sister had picked me up from the airport and offered to shuttle me around as needed during my stay. 

So, how was I going to get from Plano to Grand Prairie and back? 

Why, Uber, of course! (I could write a whole post about my experience with Uber, but suffice it to say, I had a great first experience!)

With about fifteen minutes to spare before my photography workshop started, I quickly downloaded the Uber app (it's free) and was able to view the estimated cost for a one-way trip to my sister's house.

I'm not going to lie: I hesitated for a few seconds when I saw the fare. It wasn't going to be cheap. Basically, a dollar for every minute in the car.

Whenever I'm wrestling with whether or not to do something, I ask myself a "regret" question like this one: "Tomorrow morning, when you wake up, will you regret NOT going to the concert?" 

I couldn't say yes fast enough.

Later that day, after the photography workshop ended around 6:30 pm, I flew up to my room, quickly changed into a dress and boots (I always bring my cowgirl boots when I travel to Texas!), grabbed a burger and fries from Five Guys (because it was right across the street from my hotel), and hailed an Uber.

Funny side story: As I was quickly walking across the street from my hotel to Five Guys, a truck full of young men sitting at the stop light started whistling at me. I kept looking straight ahead, so as not to get hit by any cars and so as not to draw any more attention to myself. But I had a huge grin on my face. Then, one guy shouted, "Hey sweetheart, look my way!" I happened to be on the phone with my husband, Brian, at the time, letting him know that I'd decided to take Uber to my sister's house. He heard noise in the background, so I explained what the commotion was all about. He laughed and laughed. Then, he said, "You must be wearing THE dress." Yep. And to quote a line from one of Chris's songs, I wore the "heck" out of that dress.

About an hour later, Kate and I arrived at Lonestar Park (around 9:00, I think), and the parking lot was packed.  Kate said she'd never seen so many people there. (It turned out to be a record crowd with over 18,000 people in attendance.)

I'd never seen so many trucks in one parking lot. And not just regular-sized trucks, but lifted trucks. The kind of trucks I'd need a step stool to get into because I'm only 5' 4" tall.

Luckily, I didn't have to climb into any trucks, just enter the park. Tickets were only $20 (score!).  Can you believe they would have been just $5 if we had arrived before 8:00 pm? Amazingly cheap, right?!

Inside, there were a ton of people. But they were kind and friendly and for the most part, very patient. (I love that about Texans!)

I indulged in a cup of Blue Bell strawberry ice cream (man, I love their ice cream...and luckily I didn't get sick).


The concert didn't start for awhile, which gave Kate and I time to watch the horse races and chat about life. I'm so grateful I had the chance to spend time with her, just the two of us. We had some of the best conversations that night and during the rest of my trip. Even though we're nine years apart in age, it seems like the older we get, the less that matters, and the more we have in common. 

 
Chris, as always, sounded amazing.  He really is one of those artists that sounds just as awesome live as he does on his records.

And he's so good to his fans! He interacts with the crowd, talking between songs (something that my sister and I both agreed is so important to having an awesome concert experience), telling stories, and repeatedly thanking everyone for coming out to the show.

Chris seems so down-to-earth, kind, and humble. During one of his songs, "Who's Gonna Take Me Home," he forgot the third verse, and instead of trying to fake it, he just admitted it, laughed it off and finished the song beautifully with a blues-esque run. 

As for me, I sang. (I'll admit it: I know nearly all of his songs.)

I screamed.

I clapped my hands and swayed to the music.

I watched Chris up on the screen. (We got there so late that we were nowhere near the stage, but that was okay with me. I was just happy to be there.)

I laughed.

I gazed up into the sky at the June bugs flying around. (We don't have those in Nor Cal.)

I smiled.

I listened closely as Chris sang "When You Say Nothing at All." (I'm a huge fan of Alison Krauss's version, but I loved Chris's rendition, too.)

I watched a few couples dancing to the music, and thought Oh, how I'd love to learn how to two-step like that with my husband. (I think I see dance lessons in our future.)

I saw a brawl or two break out. (It appeared to be just young men with too much liquor in them.)

I waited patiently to hear Chris's version of "Rainy Night in Georgia," but as it turns out, it wasn't on the set list. (Guess I'll have to travel to a show in Georgia one day, so I can hear his super deep voice sing, "Hoverin' by my suitcase..." He totally nails that song! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, take a listen here.)

I felt so light, so free, so young, so happy that night. 

Seriously, I'm still smiling as I type up this post.

And I know years from now, I'll be grinning when I think about that time I saw Chris Young perform in Texas with my sister by my side.

Sometimes, the last-minute, spontaneous option turns out to be the very best one. 

CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop | Dallas

About a year and a half ago, I met Me Ra Koh for the first time. I was attending the Click Blogger Retreat in the Outer Banks (my first mama getaway), and Me Ra was there as a speaker.

Prior to the blogger retreat, I'd read Me Ra's book, Your Baby in Pictures, and viewed some of her photography online, but I didn't know much else about her.

At the retreat, Me Ra shared bits and pieces of her life story, and I was inspired by her resilience and optimism in the face of so many challenges.

Like many other attendees, I fell in love with her.

With her charisma. Her charm. Her passion. Her confidence.

That was 2013.

Fast forward to late 2014...I learned that Me Ra and her husband, Brian, would be presenting a photography workshop in April 2015 in Dallas. I had been on the lookout for a mama getaway, so I quickly signed up.

A few months later, I got a big surprise by email. Partnering with Southwest Airlines, Me Ra offered me a Southwest LUV voucher, which nearly covered the non-stop flight from Sacramento to Dallas and back.  (Yes, you read that right: Southwest now flies non-stop from Sac to Dallas...sweet, huh?!)

I was thrilled! And grateful. And even more excited to attend the Confidence Photography Workshop. 

If you follow me on Instagram (@jharless), you've likely seen some of these iPhone shots already.

The flight out to Dallas was perfect, and I checked into the NYLO Hotel in Plano on Friday afternoon. (The iPhone shot above was actually taken the following Tuesday for my 3-year-old son who was requesting a photo of my airplane.)

This was my beautiful hotel room. When I first entered the room, I dropped all of my luggage by the door, grabbed my iPhone, and hopped up on the coffee table (I'm vertically challenged, what can I say?), so I could snap this shot. 

Then, I jumped in that big bed for a 2-hour nap.  (It was so needed after getting up at 3:30 am for my flight out of Sac!)

Later on that day, while I ran on the treadmill (at 10:30 pm because I'd had a nap and was still on PST!), I ruminated about what I hoped to gain from the Confidence Photography Workshop: the opportunity to learn more about photography, to hone my skills, to be inspired and empowered, to fill my creative well--and to just plain have fun. 

I can honestly say that it was all that...and more.

During the Confidence Photography Workshop, I laughed a ton. (Me Ra has the best laugh; it's totally infectious. And Brian is hilarious! At one point, he was up on a table, imitating a monkey who tried to nab his breakfast cereal in the jungle. So funny.)

I connected with women from all over the United States. All moms. All photographers. (Some bloggers like me, too.) All very welcoming and friendly and excited to be there. 

I teared up.

I learned how to turn that annoying beep off on my camera, and how to use the center focus point exclusively instead of constantly toggling my focus points. (Thanks for your help, Brian!)

I laughed some more.

I ate. And ate. (The chicken caesar salad was delicious, and the warm chocolate chip cookies were decadent.)

I took image after image after image.  

Click. 

Click. 

Click. 

Not in a spray-and-pray-kind-of-way, but in an oh-my-gosh-I'm-having-so-much-fun-kind-of-way.

Shutterbug heaven, I tell ya.  

On Saturday afternoon, I took photos of 6-month-old Baby M and her beautiful mama.

Here are a few of my favorite shots:

 

All images were taken with my Canon 5D Mark III and the Canon EF 24-70f/2.8, and edited using Lightroom and Photoshop. (I'm a big fan of RadLab's stylets.)

On Sunday afternoon, I took photos of this sweet family. They were so patience with us (a group of four photographers) as we told them where to sit, where to stand, and where to look. Over and over again.

This 6-year-old boy was just precious!  He reminded me of several sweet first grade boys I taught years ago.

I saved my favorite for last.  Isn't this mama just stunning?!

All of the family images were taken with my Canon 5D MarkIII, 24-70 f/2.8 and 85mm f/1.8 (for the headshots), and edited using Lightroom and Photoshop.

I loved that this photography workshop included equal amounts of learning time and practice time.

By Sunday evening, I felt more confident shooting with my camera, more confident posing subjects (although I know I need more practice in this area), and more confident using my external flash.

Things were really begining to click!  (I couldn't resist. Smile.)

Best of all, I was filled with sheer excitement about what my photography future might hold.     

Hats off to Me Ra and Brian for hosting such an amazing workshop, and thanks again to Southwest Airlines for spoiling me with a LUV ticket. 

Last, but certainly not least, I'm grateful to my husband for taking care of our son, our doggies + the chicks, so I could enjoy this super fun mama getaway. You're awesome, Babe! 
 

P.S. Want to hear more about my adventures in Dallas? Stay tuned for a second post!

*This post contains affiliate links. What does that mean? If you click on any link and make a purchase, I'll receive a small commission--with no extra cost to you--which helps to keep my blog humming along. Thanks, in advance, for your support!    

Our Texas Trip | 2013

About a month ago, Brian, Noah, and I flew to Texas for a week to celebrate my sister Kate's wedding. 

After arriving home in early November, I created a list of all that I wanted to remember about our trip. As I wrote down some of the details, the prompt that kept springing to mind was "It was the trip where..."  So, that's what I'm going to use to document my thoughts here. 

And who knows?  Maybe someday in the future, I'll create a scrapbook page wherein the text from this post becomes the journaling on the layout. 

It was the trip where Katie & Preston got married at a gorgeous ranch in East Texas.  What a beautiful ceremony and fun reception!

It was the trip where we "partied" with both my mom's extended family and my dad's extended family.  (The last time both sides of my family were all together was nearly ten years ago for our wedding!)  

 
It was the trip where Noah wore his first tuxedo.  He looked so adorable! 

 
It was the trip where Noah parked himself in front of guitarist Daniel Rocha and watched and listened to him for several long periods.  Well, long for a 21-month-old.

Noah also loved seeing Noelle Bean (Preston's sister) play her guitar.

He's got a thing for music (and instruments), which of course, I think is pretty darn cool.

It was the trip where Noah donned several cowboy hats.  My dad’s hat.  My cousin Chris’s hat.  My cousin Brian’s hat.  All black. All way too big. All adorably cute on ring bearer Noah.

It was the trip where Brian really stepped up, not only on the day of the wedding, but also on the days leading up to it.  He took care of the baby (when I was busy), packed the car, carried boxes of beer into the reception hall, dressed Noah in his tuxedo, and found milk for Noah after the reception.  Thanks, Babe!

It was the trip where the three of us stayed in a rental house (booked through vrbo.com) and played lots of hide-and-seek.



It was the trip where Noah crawled through this tunnel over and over again and rode his trike around. (A big thanks to my parents for schlepping both the tunnel and trike to Texas in their car.)

It was the trip where Noah locked himself in the bathroom of said rental house.  Eeek!  Luckily, we were able to free him quickly.

It was the trip where we played at a neighborhood park, just minutes from our rental house.  That's something I miss about living in the suburbs--a park just down the street.

It was the trip where we rented an SUV (and loved it!).

It was the trip where we sat in business class on the flight home.  It was Noah's first time, and only my second time ever. What a treat!

Mr. & Mrs. Meredith

First, comes love.

Then, comes marriage!

On Friday, November 1, my sister, Katie, and her fiance, Preston, tied the knot.

Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Meredith!

To love, laughter, and happily ever after.

Flying with a Toddler

Today, Brian, Noah and I are flying to Texas for my sister's wedding.  WOOT, WOOT!

The last time we flew with Noah, he was just 12 months old.  Now, nine months later, he's walking and running and touching everything--which is totally developmentally appropriate, but could prove to be a challenge in an airplane.

For the past few weeks, in preparation for this trip, I've been giving some thought to traveling with a toddler.  In addition, I scoured the internet and asked a few friends for travel advice.

Here are some tips I gleaned from my research: 

• Find three seats together.  For our flight today, we've reserved an aisle seat and a window seat, and we're crossing our fingers that no one sits in the middle seat. 

• Bring a car seat to the gate.  Although technically Noah is a lap child, we're hoping to bring his car seat on the flight with us.  That way, we can strap him into it--just as if we were going on a car ride.      

• Request cans of soda instead of cups.  On previous flights, we've found it difficult to juggle cups of soda and ice, and keep it from spilling on Noah, us or the seats. Requesting cans of soda or buying bottled water in the airport before the flight works better for us.   

• Buy a new book for the plane.  I purchased this book for Noah.   

• Bring balloons.  Blow up a balloon at the gate and play with it as you wait for your flight.  Then, throw it away when you board the plane or pass it on to another family with little ones.

• Pack a doodler or Etch-a-Sketch.  We're planning to bring this one along. 

• Carry stickers and paper.  Noah loves to put stickers on paper at home; I pull off a sticker, hand it to him, and he sticks it to the paper. 

• Bring a small pack of crayons and a coloring book.   

• Buy steamed milk at the airport.  Then, transfer the milk to a bottle or cup and give it your child on the plane.  (Thanks to my sister-in-law, Lori, for this great tip!) 

• Carry a roll of painter's tape or a pad of post-it notes.  Make a game of it as you decorate the tray table, the seat, your toddler's clothing--even his nose, ears, and chin. 

• Pack a variety of snacks.  Especially ones that take a long time to eat such as raisins or nuts. 

• Pull out your iPhone or iPad.  In general, I'm not a fan of screen time for Noah, but when we're flying, I'm perfectly fine with him watching videos (he loves viewing movies of himself), reading digital books, or playing games.  That being said, we're going to start with the more traditional entertainment methods first (see above), and make the iPhone or iPad our back-up plan.

• Fly at nap time.  We're flying out in the afternoon, so it's quite possible that Noah will sleep for part of the flight.  More finger crossing happening!

Fellow family fliers: What would you add to the list?

Time for a Laugh

Last Sunday, I wrote a post about our trip to Dallas, wherein I shared a boatload of pictures--22 to be exact.

Hopefully, you've fully recovered from photo overload because I have a couple more pictures I want to show you.

Is there such a thing as having too many pictures?  I don't think so...

Here are six pictures that really made me laugh.

Noah wearing Auntie Katie's spectacles.  Doesn't he look a little like the boy from Jerry Maguire? 

Noah silencing Katie and Preston at the Rangers' game.  It's as if he's telling them, "Hush, the Rangers are playing!"

Noah in jail.  Boo hoo hoo.

Noah on the airplane.  I think he was super excited because 1) he's wearing his jammies...on an airplane 2) he got to sit in his own seat for once and 3) he's holding Daddy's iPhone.  What more could an 8-month-old want?!

I loved these Cowboy 10 Commandments up on the wall in Riscky's Barbeque.  Number 8 is my favorite!

I also loved this sign, which was for sale in a Fort Worth shop.  I contemplated buying one (and placing it in our front yard next to the ADT sign), but it never would have fit in my suitcase.

Darn.