Prepared To Be Blown Away

Yesterday was one of the best days ever! I woke up a little earlier than usual, so I could check out American Idol tour tickets with my mom when they went on sale and check for new Carrie tickets. We ended up getting them, which I was really excited about...two AWESOME tours coming up in just a short amount of time.  I took a shower and started getting ready to head to LA, did my devotion and hung around for awhile. I had gotten super sick the night before (extremely dizzy, bad headache, etc.). I still felt really nauseous, but I was getting better. I ate some soup and just took it easy. Besides, there was no way I could miss Carrie; I knew I wouldn't be that sick when it came down to it.  Just a short time later, a couple ladies from the Carrie Underwood fan club picked us up and we all headed down to see Carrie at Jimmy Kimmel. It was fun catching up with her, because we hadn't seen each other since last year in Nashville for CMA Fest. She told us all about the listening party and some of Carrie's stories and all that jazz.

We got to the Hollywood and Highland shopping center around three or so and had time to kill before check in. We decided to walk around by Mann's Chinese Theater; I wanted to stop to see Jennifer Aniston's handprints on the sidewalk, but I still didn't see it. After a few minutes of searching, we ended up going across the street to Coffee Bean to get something to drink. In front of us in line was Charlie Chaplin and Zorro and across the street, a freakish clone of Michael Jackson was just standing in front of the theater staring at everyone. Only in Hollywood... The characters really make me anxious, so I'm not a big fan of walking around down there LOL. We met the other two at Baja Fresh and ate. While we were eating, they were filming something outside, but down there that's nothing out of the ordinary. Later, I found out they were filming for that new show, LA Complex! I definitely want to check it out now. Then we decided to go back to the car to put our stuff away for the taping. Then, it was time to get in line.

We met so many nice people while waiting for Carrie and of course, they were all fans too! It was fun hearing their stories of shows they'd been to or where they'd seen Carrie. Carrie and her band even came out for a sound check, so it was like we got to hear the show twice. It got us even more pumped up. In that time we were waiting, I kept checking Twitter every few minutes for updates on Idol and was SO MAD about the elimination. Just a few minutes later, my aunt tweeted me saying she had gotten tickets for the taping of next week's Idol show, but with Hollie being gone now it doesn't matter to me, so I think we'll pass this time. Sad day... I happened to see that Colton Dixon had tweeted he was at the Beverly Center mall, which wasn't too far from where I was at. If I hadn't been in line to see Carrie, I would've been trying to make my way over there LOL.
I also got a chance to hang out with a couple other friends I'd met through American Idol and One Tree Hill. My friend, Yolanda was actually going to another concert after the taping and it just so happened that it was a guy from my church; his parents and my parents go way back. They're an up and coming band, Satellite! You should check them out sometime. If you're a One Tree Hill fan, their song, "Ring The Bells" was on during season 7. We continued talking about American Idol (and who had gotten sent home-more on that later), musicians and Carrie's CD. My friend, Rebecca is interning with ABC for a few months out here, so she was telling me about some of the stuff she's been doing and what she's been up to. I also filled her in on the latest update with my school, which was definitely less exciting. The waiting seemed to go by pretty fast. I guess after waiting at least seven or so hours before getting into American Idol and surviving everything at CMA Fest, that didn't seem so bad at all. It helped that we had really nice people around us to help the time go by.

We went through the metal detectors and I ended up running into my friend Meagan (also in the fan club), who called us over towards the front row. We were able to get really close thanks to her, which was awesome! However, when they moved us up closer to the stage before Carrie came out, we got pushed back a little further because people decided to cut in front. We still had quite awhile to wait while the show filmed, so we talked to people around us! Rebecca ended up seeing one of the girls that's on General Hospital, since she's an intern for them. I was sort of hoping we'd run into her; she seemed nice. They showed us the episode of Jimmy Kimmel, and it was crazy to think they were all just inside at the studio in front of us. It was a little hard to see, but you could hear everything and that was all that mattered. After Carrie's interview, Jimmy Kimmel headed outside to the concert area (which is not as big as it seems on TV), and Carrie was just behind him. By that time, I had started not feeling so well again. My head was pounding and I was starting to feel a little dizzy, but I wasn't going to let that hold me back from an awesome time. Carrie stepped on stage and I forgot all about that. She sang Good Girl, Wasted, Leave Love Alone, Before He Cheats, and for the first time ever in front of an audience, One Way Ticket. It was the perfect setting for that one; we were outside, the breeze was blowing and we were all just having a great time, waving our hands in the air. I can't wait to hear that one again on tour! She just seems to really be into it and more laid back. Me and Rebecca kept glancing at each during that one and Before He cheats; rocking to and singing our hearts out. I can't remember the last time I've felt so carefree! HAHA. After her set was over, a few people near us kept cheering for a couple more songs, to which she responded, "We don't know anymore, that's all we practiced," in this shy voice. It was funny! She's quite hilarious as we all saw in that parody of Before He Cheats with Jimmy.

Here's a video I put together of all of the performances she did :)

When the show was over, my friend told us about where she has to come out to leave. We weren't quite sure if we were going to stay, but we saw this huge crowd waiting for her, and thought we'd go over for a few minutes to check it out. As soon as we saw the crowd when we got closer,  we were all thinking she wouldn't sign and if she did, it would only be for a few people. She totally proved me wrong! She stayed for a good 30 minutes and signed for just about everyone. When she got to me, she signed my paper I had put over the fence and I asked if we could get a picture. I was like can you just look up for a second, please? And she did! I felt her slip the paper through the fence to me, while my mom was taking a picture. It turned out to be a video! HAHAHAHAH. So, we're just awkwardly standing there for a second, but I took a screenshot of it, so you wouldn't really have any idea if I hadn't said anything. LOL. I told her I couldn't wait for the Fan club party, but I think she was already further down when I said it, so she didn't hear me. We stuck around for a few minutes, just watching her sign things and hanging out. I was so glad Rebecca got to meet Carrie as well, because she's been wanting to; just wish it would've worked out to get a picture! I couldn't have been happier after the day we'd had.

It was so good to see Carrie again! For some reason it's always weird going a length of time without seeing her, because when she's on tour or promoting something, she's just always around it seems like.  I think this album shows just how comfortable she really is with herself, her stage presence and how genuinely happy she is with her life. As crazy as it is, I've met so many incredible people through her! She has made such a positive impact on my life and has brought me so many incredible memories. We headed home shortly after that, still on a high from everything that happened. We stopped at In-N-Out for dinner, then continued our drive. We listened to Carrie and talked about our favorite songs, while Jamie shared some of the stories that Carrie had told them at the CD listening party. By the time we got home, I was so wiped out, but I was still texting and instagram-ing photos from the night.


I can't wait to see Carrie again in just a couple weeks! It should be a ton of fun :)

That's all for now,
Shelby <3

Idol Connections

So, this year I found out that I sort of have a couple links to two of the contestants on this season of American Idol. While I was out of town, I guess they ran this news story in our city about Colton Dixon having some relatives from here. My mom was texting me keeping me updated on it. It turns out his aunt and uncle just live in a town not too far from here and is still considered to be in the same county! I was hoping they would actually live here in town, but maybe for whatever reason he'll end up here someday ;)

Here's the link to the news segment they ran:
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/entertainment/148179355.html

The next connection I found out about was Phillip Phillips! My dad has some relatives that are actually from his hometown. I guess they've talked to him when he's played at the restaurants back there and that he's a really nice guy. Some of their friends are either just really close with him or they're related. I thought that was really cool! They're really pulling for him back there. And I'm definitely pulling for him and Hollie in the finale! We'll see how things go!

That's all for now,
Shelby<3

Do you guys have any idol connections from this season or season's past? Share them with me on Twitter or in the comments below if you do! I'd love to hear them!

Saying Goodbye Is Never An Easy Thing

"Each new beginning came from some other beginning's end."

I don't like goodbye's and I don't like endings. A few examples of goodbyes: graduation, death, family leaving from a visit, or saying goodbye to a new place that has come to mean so much to you. A few examples of endings: moving on to college after high school, the ending of a friendship, the ending of a relationship, when you finish this book that you've fallen in love with, that moment when the credits roll in a movie and you walk out of the theater, or when your favorite TV show that has been there for you as long as you can remember gets canceled. 

Maybe it's not the ending I hate so much as I hate not knowing what comes next. I get so comfortable with a certain scenery, a certain group of people...and if I haven't said it before...I'm not a big fan of change. In certain cases, I love the occasional surprise and when I do something out of the ordinary. 

 But, when it comes to life changing decisions and one door closes, another opens, I want to know what I'm walking into. I want to know who's going to be there, what I'm going to be thrown into. 

As I helped my friend in her classroom today, I thought about that. I thought about the kids who are finishing up this school year in a couple weeks and getting ready to move to another grade. I thought about how I always hated saying goodbye to my friends and all the memories we'd made, even though I was so excited for summer. I hate saying goodbye to family members when they come out to stay for awhile. I hate saying goodbye when I've worked with a group of people for a concert or play. I hate when another season of American Idol comes to a close and the following year comes around and I have to get used to them again. You miss those memories of how it used to be and what it used to feel like. 

This is where I start to contradict myself. If we never take a chance, we'd never have those memories in the first place. So, doors open when they're supposed to and people come and go in your life for a reason. When one chapter of your life gets filled up, just start writing down the journey of the next chapter. Make it so wonderful that everyone would want to read it.

That's all for now,
Shelby <3

"Love's A Funny Thing"

The other day I told you guys about my friend/music pastor's new song, "Love's A Funny Thing" that he played at Relay For Life. Here's the video!

Also, don't forget...if you really like the song, you can buy it on iTunes for 99 cents and the proceeds will go to Relay For Life :)

That's all for now,
Shelby <3

This Weekend

Saturday, I was able to sleep in a little. I had lunch at Panera with my parents and went over to Target for awhile. Awhile after that, I went to my friend Febe's house and we headed out to Relay For Life. It was my first time ever participating or even going to the event, so I was excited. Two of my grandma's have passed away from the disease and so many others have been affected by it as well. I'm so glad I was able to be a part of it. Our Relay For Life is the biggest in the country and they weren't kidding. There were booths everywhere, live music, food and lots of people. I had a blast hanging out with my friend Jasmine and her best friend, Martha for awhile. I even got my eyes done with sparkly eyeshadow from the ladies at Sephora. I figured it's a fun event and the proceeds go to Relay, so why not??  Then, when Febe got done working at the Starbucks booth, we walked around to explore and check things out; she even got a henna tattoo. They has so many crafts and items for sale. It was neat seeing who had what and seeing the team theme ideas and shirts.
I was also able to check out a few bands that are also friends and members of our church! We have so many talented musicians that it's always cool to get to hear them play their own music when given the chance. My friend/music pastor, Jim's band performed their new single, "Love's A Funny Thing." It's super catchy! If you buy their single on iTunes, all the proceeds between now and April will go towards Relay For Life. I got some videos of them that I'll try to post later on as well. Until then, check out their new CD on iTunes.

It was so good being able to catch up with people I haven't been able to spend much time with lately, a few people that I don't always see, and new faces as well. Febe and I watched Jim's band, Soulajar perform for awhile, then decided to leave. The dust was absolutely crazy and we were both getting pretty sleepy, so we decided to call it a night. I slept so good!

The next morning was church; such a great kick off to the new series on how God turns bad things around for good.

After, my parents and I had lunch at P.F Changs, which was entertaining. The rest of the afternoon, I spent mainly out on the front porch working on hw and a story that I've been writing for awhile. It was too gorgeous of a day to be stuck inside, so I thought why not bring it outside? There's something about being out on the front porch that brings me to a whole other level of inspiration. I really feel God's presence and just reminders to take it slow and to not always be in a rush to get nowhere.

That night we went out to dinner with some family friends at Chuy's. We hadn't seen them in awhile, so we were filling each other in on our lives and vacations coming up. We also talked about hanging out this weekend, since we'll all be in LA at the same time. When dinner was finished, we decided to go to the new Dewar's ice cream shop that had opened. It's definitely a specialty around here; if you're ever in the area...GO! Once again on both accounts, we sat outside because it felt better outside than inside.

That's all for now,
Shelby <3

American Idol

I haven't been posting as much about American Idol as I would like, but I'm gonna try to with the next few weeks. We're really getting down to the wire in the competition, and to be honest this is not the top 5 I had seen in my head or would've imagined. I'm SO into this season now. I realized that it just takes time getting warmed up to the contestants, some just take longer than others. But, now that I'm into it, I see just how much talent there is and how much I really like at least 8 of the 11 that are on.

Anyway, it was British pop/60s theme this week. They've had such off the wall choices and the ones where they've mixed and matched just don't seem to go, but at least they're a little bit different than the usual choices. I think Hollie did an incredible job with Bleeding Love and River Deep (Mountain High). That song has been done so many times in the industry, but she really owned it and the stage. I think she's starting to show her personality more and she's already such a likable girl, that this is going to gain her even more success. She is the most underrated, and people got sick of hearing the judges bash her every week, so they're doing something about it. I have a feeling that not only is she going to make it to the finale, but is going to take the the title as the next American Idol. Joshua also had a strong week, even though I'm not always necessarily crazy about his style. The fact that he did such an amazing job on the second song he sang, never having heard it, shows how musically gifted he is. He sang it with such emotion and feeling! Skylar is one heck of a performer, and even though I don't think she's the best vocally, but she works that stage and just brings such a joy to it. I absolutely love her as a person and thinks she's just so endearing and charming. To me, Jessica hasn't gotten any better...if anything, she's lost her zest since the "saved" card event took place. She has a great voice, there's no denying that. But, I don't think she's as good as the judges go on and on and on about. I think people are noticing that. And Phillip is good, but he's not really stepping anything up either. I think he seems cool as a person, but there just doesn't seem to be much to his performing or anything.
Obviously, I voted hardcore for Hollie and I encouraged everyone to do the same.

I was extremely surprised to see that Skylar was voted off. I was actually in the drive-thru at Starbucks with my friend, getting ready to see The Avengers, when I decided to look at Twitter to see who went home. I was so sad, I actually almost teared up. I can't wait to see what Skylar does, I know she'll be welcomed in the country world with no problem.
I'm really shocked at who's left. I didn't think it would come down to these four. I thought it would be Colton, Hollie, Skylar and Joshua. I'm actually surprised that Jessica is still there. Something tells me that if it gets down to Joshua and Jessica in the finale, that this entire competition is seriously rigged, because that's who the judges have been pulling for this entire time. But, we still have two weeks...so enough about that.

Idol Extras:
This week, I got a re-tweet from Skylar and a tweet from Hollie. Skylar was posting several lyrics that were a little sad, so people were tweeting encouraging messages. I joined and she re-tweeted it and I was SO excited! :D

Hollie is usually up late, either answering random questions here and there or actually doing a Twitter party. I saw that she had answered one of my friends, so I decided to throw a few questions out there, and she answered me back again!!!!! I love her <3

My mom and I also went to Kohl's to check out the American Idol line. I found a few things that I thought were cute, but it is way too overpriced, even on sale!

Can I just say...I LOVE AMERICAN IDOL?! I don't like the judges, and I don't always like the way the producers run things or have changed it over the years. But, I love that it's about the American dream and making people believe in themselves and each other again. I love the contestants. Most of the major people that I look up to today in the industry and in general have come from this show and I am so thankful for that and for all the friendships I've made because of that. :)

If you're a big idol fan, you should check out the website. There are a ton of great behind the scenes video of the show itself and of the contestants. I love that you can see more of their personalities!
http://www.americanidol.com/videos/season_11/behind_the_scenes/coke_backstage_tour/

That's all for now,
Shelby <3

And remember....VOTE,VOTE, VOTE this week!