July 26, 2012
July 24, 2012
July 22, 2012
Good In Goodbye: Part 7 (Fiction Series)
Carter
and I spent the afternoon walking around the streets of Santa Monica,
hanging out at the pier, and listening to street performers who had set up mini stages along to play as people strolled. Carter told me all about the rehearsals for the idol
tour; it sounds like it's going to be one heck of a show, I can't wait
to see it.
"When do you start training for your new job?" Carter asked, taking my hand as we stood side by side along the water.
"This
Monday," I said with a big gulp. My heart started racing again as I
thought about all that I had to do in between now and then.
"You'll be fine," He gently caressed my hand and let me know he believed in me again. "Let's just be right here, right now...and enjoy the moment."
"Right," I pushed the chaos that was swirling around in my mind aside, and snuggling in closer to Carter. "How is everything with the writing going?"
"It's going so good! We've been getting a lot done; I wrote a few songs by myself and last week, the team and I got several that I really want to record for the final product."
"Aw, I'm so proud of you," I gave his hand a squeeze as we continued to stroll down the street, until we decided to walk into a bookstore to browse and get some coffee.
We ordered two cappuccino's and sat at a small table near the window to people watch. There were a lot of interesting people, to put it nicely, down here to watch, and we continued to talk.
"I'd really like you to come down to the studio sometime, so I can give you the tour of the place, introduce you to the guys, let you listen to some of the tracks and you can tell me your favorites."
I grinned and felt my heart beating fast inside my chest, "I would love that. I just don't know when there will be time."
"It sounds like you're coming up with excuses again," he gave a sly smile and nudged me with his foot under the table.
He caught me, and there was no dodging this. "Okay, maybe I am..."
"Do you not want to come, because you don't have to..."
"No, it's not that. I really do! It's just hard saying goodbye, so I've tried not to get too attached with the ideas of us doing things together."
"You have to learn to just be in the moment, we'll figure the rest out as we go along."
"That might be easier for you to just fly by the seat of your pants, but I like to have everything planned out and know exactly what is coming next."
"Don't you think that some things are better when they aren't planned or scheduled in your little appointment book?'
"I guess so..." I shrugged, knowing that once again he was right. "I do, I will come with you."
"Let's go now, then," he suggested, finishing off his coffee, taking the last sip.
"What?"
"Let's go down to the studio! There's always someone in there that can let us in."
"Uhh, okay..." My voice squeaked, wondering whether this was a good idea or not. He was teaching me to the go with the flow, and go with the flow I would, starting now. "I'm in."
We drove through the streets of Hollywood, past Sunset and Melrose, making our way to Capitol Records. Carter parked the car on one of the side streets, and ran into a side door to the building. Carter led me inside, said hi to a few people he knew, asking if it was alright that we were in there. When they said it was fine, we continued to the end of the long hallway to a small recording studio. The lights were all off, and the sound boards were covered. Carter went in and knew exactly what he was doing; he flipped on the light switch, uncovered the monitors and turned everything on.
"This is it," He spread his arms out with a Vanna White hand motion, "This is where all the magic happens."
"Wow!" My eyes gazed at all the buttons that were lit up and I could see the mic glowing through the glass window straight ahead.
"You want to check it out?" he followed my gaze, and led me through the connecting door to it.
"This is amazing!" I couldn't get over being in his recording studio. Sure, I'd done plenty of interviews with rap stars, country singers, and pop icons as they talked with me about their new albums. But, I'd never been in here with the man I loved.
"You've been in here before, haven't you?" he asked, giving me a strange look.
"Yeah, but not with you. I mean, this is where you work everyday. Seeing you in your element helps me realize that this is where you need to be when I have my selfish moments..." I admitted. I think in some way, I had been jealous of the fact that he'd be away, not ever having actually seen him in action firsthand, doing what he loves.
"Do you want to hear some of what we've done so far?" I put my hand in his as he showed me how some of the trinkets and recordings worked, then back into the control room to play back some of the tracks.
"Yes! I do!" I clapped, excitedly, sitting in the chair next to him at the board as he got everything set up.
Carter turned the stereo up, as several uptempo beats played and his rocker voice bellowed over it. There were a couple love songs, and one that he hadn't told anyone else about. I was rocking out, I was in tears, I was swaying back and forth, according to the song that was on.
"I'm in love with this one..You have to put that on there," I told him as "Near me" finished playing.
"You think so?" He looked up with a certain something in his eyes.
"Absolutely!"
"Well, I was hoping you would, because I wrote it about us...You..."
My heart stopped. Had I just heard him right? I kept looking at him, waiting for an explanation. He nodded, and continued ,"I want to marry you, and I thought the best way to say it was in a song...." He started, and I felt my eyes well with tears and my cheeks grow flush.
"What?" A smile broke through, and again, I waited for him to finish his thought.
"We've known since the moment we met that we had something special. You can deny it all you want, but you know that's true...Every day that we're together is an adventure; you're my best friend, to put it simply...So, will you marry me and we'll spend the rest of our lives together figuring everything out?"
All of a sudden all the words in the English language went out of my mind. I couldn't feel anything in my legs, or my arms or hands. My mind went blank and all of a sudden, my mouth was extremely dry. I was smiling like an idiot, trying to say something...and nothing came out.
Part 8 coming sometime this week...so, stay tuned! :D
Weekend At The Beach
Friday, my parents and I went to the beach for Alabama concert! We got a bit of a later start than I thought we might, and it seems like from there things just kept getting pushed back. We had made it to our hotel in good timing, only to see a big crowd in the lobby waiting for rooms. Shortly after, everyone else got checked in, but we were still waiting for ours. It took at least 30 minutes of waiting before we got a room, but they did upgrade us to a suite with a balcony, so it made up for that! We hurried to get ready, then drove over near the Mid-State fair. There's a BBQ restaurant right across the street from the fairgrounds, so decided to go there. Its been a bit of a tradition the last few years that we've gone. We met up with my cousin for dinner, and we hadn't seen him in awhile, so it was nice spending time with him. After, we headed into the fair to walk around a bit, but seeing as we didn't have much time, we were only able to make it into a couple buildings and met up with my aunt and uncle. It was 7:15 before we realized it and the show was about to start. It was an absolute must to get some cotton candy, then we found our seats. We were in the grandstands this time, but it was actually better. I don't know that I was up for fighting the crowd of the floor seats. I was sitting smack dab in the middle too which was awesome, so we really had the perfect view. My dad informed me as the show had started that the last time him and my mom saw Alabama in concert, cell phones hadn't even really come out yet...That put it into perspective for me of how long it had been LOL. It was a lot of fun! They might not have been as hyped up as they once were, running around the stage like Brad Paisley, but they still had the crowd getting into it. Maybe I just wasn't used to how tame the crowd was...I'm used to CMA Fest where mainly everyone's drunk and annoying most of the time! The group sang most of their hits and a few that I was unfamiliar with. I was bummed they didn't sing, "I'm In A Hurry (And Don't Know Why)," but I guess when you have as many hits as they do, it's hard to sing them all, right? I'm glad I got to see a full show of theirs, since they're such legends and I've basically grown up with their music. We walked around the fair, trying to find a funnel cake, but when we didn't find one, we went to In-N-Out...The perfect end to a really great day!
This morning, we got up a little earlier, got ready, packed up our stuff and headed out. My allergies are messing up a bit, I think mainly after the fire pit and dust last night. We walked along the beach for awhile, which was so beautiful. If only I could start every morning out like that, I think I'd be in a much better mood ;) There is something so peaceful, yet powerful at the same time. You can see God's beauty firsthand and feel his presence, for sure! By the time we made it back to the pier, we were ready for lunch, so we decided to eat at Brad's just up the street, since it was within walking distance. We sat on the patio, which was a bit chilly, but we tried to soak up as much cold air as we could when we got back to the 106 degree weather here in town...YUCK! Lunch was really tasty, though! When we finished eating, we stocked up on candy at the store down the street, and I even picked up a lollipop for Hollie on American Idol, just in the off chance that we get to meet her, I'll give it to her...because I'm cheesy like that! Then, once again it was time to leave, almost as soon as we got there. I'm so thankful for this weekend and how relaxing it was. It was a nice break to get away from it all and spend time with my family, just doing the simple things. I get so caught up in the rush of always having to stay busy or do BIG things, etc. But, those are really the best moments that I'll always remember when it comes down to it.
Tonight, I'll be watching the Teen Choice Awards and calling it a night early, since my mom and I are going to LA for the American Idol concert tomorrow night! AH!!!! I can't wait. I'm crossing my fingers to meet Hollie, Skylar, and Elise since I didn't get a chance to talk to them at the finale, and of course, I'd love another picture with Colton ;). We shall see what happens. I'm off the computer for the rest of the night to enjoy myself and to take some time to just...BE.
Talk to you later,
Shelby
"These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive...These are the moments, I'll remember all my life..."
~Sara Evans~
Yesterday, which was Saturday, we went to breakfast with my aunt and uncle at the Madonna Inn. It's really eclectic/old fashioned inside. It's so dainty and girly! I'd love to have a girls weekend there; it's definitely one of the best places for it. It was a blast hanging out with my aunt and uncle; they are hilarious together! We ran some errands around town to get some things for dinner (Wal-Mart and Costco), then headed back to their campsite. My dad and I had been talking for the last month or so that we were going to rent bikes of some sort on the beach when we got over there this weekend, but when it came down to it, I thought the four person bike would be fun, after seeing a few on the street. My mom and cousin, Nick, agreed, so we decided to get one of those. It was a freakin' blast. We rode down the street into town, laughing our heads off, as people just smiled at us. Maybe we were having way too much fun, because they just kept giving us this weird look...Although, I guess we were a bit on the loud side...Haha! Stay tuned for the video, possibly.
The rest of the night, we spent time around the campfire, eating dinner, making s'mores and just talking. It reminded me of the stories that my grandma used to tell me when I was little my mom and her family going camping as kids. It always sounded like such fun, and now I can finally say I've been able to somewhat experience it.
This morning, we got up a little earlier, got ready, packed up our stuff and headed out. My allergies are messing up a bit, I think mainly after the fire pit and dust last night. We walked along the beach for awhile, which was so beautiful. If only I could start every morning out like that, I think I'd be in a much better mood ;) There is something so peaceful, yet powerful at the same time. You can see God's beauty firsthand and feel his presence, for sure! By the time we made it back to the pier, we were ready for lunch, so we decided to eat at Brad's just up the street, since it was within walking distance. We sat on the patio, which was a bit chilly, but we tried to soak up as much cold air as we could when we got back to the 106 degree weather here in town...YUCK! Lunch was really tasty, though! When we finished eating, we stocked up on candy at the store down the street, and I even picked up a lollipop for Hollie on American Idol, just in the off chance that we get to meet her, I'll give it to her...because I'm cheesy like that! Then, once again it was time to leave, almost as soon as we got there. I'm so thankful for this weekend and how relaxing it was. It was a nice break to get away from it all and spend time with my family, just doing the simple things. I get so caught up in the rush of always having to stay busy or do BIG things, etc. But, those are really the best moments that I'll always remember when it comes down to it.
Tonight, I'll be watching the Teen Choice Awards and calling it a night early, since my mom and I are going to LA for the American Idol concert tomorrow night! AH!!!! I can't wait. I'm crossing my fingers to meet Hollie, Skylar, and Elise since I didn't get a chance to talk to them at the finale, and of course, I'd love another picture with Colton ;). We shall see what happens. I'm off the computer for the rest of the night to enjoy myself and to take some time to just...BE.
Talk to you later,
Shelby
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