All-American Bluegrass Girl

It is no secret I listen to many different kinds of music. My favorite genres are country, bluegrass and as some would say my church music, which could include but is not limited to contemporary, southern gospel, and pretty much every thing in between. I say all that to say this, even though I am young all my life I have loved and respected bluegrass music and  Rhonda Vincent is my absolute favorite bluegrass singer. A few years ago I was fortunate enough to see her at Dollywood and even got to meet her. I figured that would be the only time I’d ever get to see her in concert but as things sometimes turn out in life I quite by accident saw where she was going to be at Renfro Valley, which is only about an hour or so from where I live. My love for music, concerts and traveling made me decide in 1.4 seconds that I was going to do whatever I could to go and the day the tickets went on sale I was stalking the website so I could click on that buy tickets button. Fast forward to October 18th, at 8:00 pm and I’m sitting in my seat when I realize that me and my cousin (who by the way had never even heard Rhonda Vincent) were the youngest people there, no exaggeration or joking. If you’ve never seen Rhonda Vincent & The Rage in concert, I strongly encourage you to go to her website and check out her tour schedule and quickly grab you a ticket to a show that is near you. Trust me as much as they tour it shouldn’t be hard to find a show and it will be money very well spent. When you see them in concert you can tell that not only do they all have God given talents (they all can play multiple instruments and can sing very well in their own right) but they have fun and joke.  I have the utmost admiration and respect for Rhonda Vincent because she seems to genuinely appreciate her fans (when a singer will wait after every show and sign autographs, take pictures with fans, etc. that means a lot, especially when she has got to be pressed for time on the very hectic schedule she has).  She isn’t a self-centered
singer that wants the spotlight on her the whole show but instead gives all of her band members equal time to showcase their talents. Needless to say if you watch one video of any of their songs from a live performance on YouTube or go to one of their concerts you can quickly see why Rhonda Vincent & The Rage are one of, if not, the most awarded bluegrass bands in the industry. They remind you what good music is and how it’s okay to sit there and tap your foot and/or sing along but they also have a way to remind you to laugh and have fun. So if you read this blog and think I wouldn’t listen to bluegrass, that’s for those old hillbillies, I will say you are depriving yourself from hearing some of the best music around and I strongly encourage you to start your bluegrass listening with Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, there is a reason why she holds the title of Queen of Bluegrass and one song of hearing her pure vocals and that amazing picking on the mandolin you can see she has earned that title. Bluegrass music might not be on most peoples play list and I may get made fun of for listening to it but to steal a line from one of Rhonda Vincent’s songs, I am an All-American bluegrass girl and proud as I can be.


I also hope this doesn’t come across like I am bragging or arrogant about this opportunity or any of the other opportunities I have been very fortunate and blessed to have been able to do. I don’t take it for granted that I am at a time in my life where I can do these things that I truly only thought they would remain dreams

Mood Swings

I'm fairly certain I've wrote about this same thing multiple times...oh well, I guess one more time won't hurt. You ever wake up in a bad mood and don't even know why every thing just irritates you, because that's the kind of day I'm having. Maybe there is something to that saying woke up on the wrong side of the bed. My day technically did start off rough when I overslept and then just every little thing is proving to be irritating since then. I hate getting in and staying in those moods longer than I should. At least for the most part Pandora is playing some music that seems to be helping realign my mood to a better place. Days when I'm like this I just want to get away from every one and just forget about having to be a responsible adult. A walk in the woods would really help, you can't be sad or in a bad mood when you walk in the woods or somewhere where you can just get away and enjoy the sounds of nature. It's funny how quick a mood can change too or things that can happen to quickly alter a mood for better or worse. I hate it when I don't even know why I'm in a bad mood though, how am I supposed to make it better when I don't even know what got me in the bad mood to begin with? It doesn't help that I have this overwhelming feeling I'm going to hear bad news. I hate when that happens because my anxiety level goes through the roof no matter how many times I try to convince myself that nothing ever happens when I have those moods, well normally it doesn't anyway. On a positive note tomorrow I get to go see Rhonda Vincent in concert, I don't have to work tomorrow and the best of all I may get to spend a little time with my little cousin. Guess I'll try to focus on that and hope that my mood decides to swing back in to at least being at a tolerable state.

It's a writing kind of day

I have been trying to add to the story that I started forever ago and am almost finished. The bad thing is I have this weird kind of writer's block. I have the ideas in my head, have the whole story line written out in there but when I sit down to write it down on paper it runs away. I also think I jinxed myself because I said I would finish the story and take it to someone so it would force me to go see them (long story but basically I have to trick myself so I will actually stop and visit people) but now I think I'm unconsciously stalling to not finish. Whatever I'm doing I need it to stop I'm ready to be finished with this last re-write and just let it go. It's not like I"m going to do anything with the story anyway, it'll sit in my computer with the exception of about five people that actually read my Facebook posts and have said they want to read it and I can't get out of that. Good news is it looks like in a couple of weeks I can ease that itch from the travel bug bite, it'll just be a weekend trip but I'll take it at this point. Finally, have I mentioned how much I love the show Castle, it truly is the only good thing about Monday. The only thing I hate is that every time I watch it I always have several 'Awww' moments and it makes me want the kind of relationship that Beckett and Castle have. I love how their relationship has progressed over the seasons. Anyway that is all of my ranting and writing so I'll go wait for Monday and my Castle fix (at least new episode, I'll watch the reruns every chance I get in between that time).

Comparing Myself with Others

It's amazing the things I will think at night to prevent myself from going to sleep. Last night while perusing Facebook again to kill a few seconds I realized I was starting to compare myself to others and by doing that I was starting to take away from the accomplishments I have made for myself. In my A.D.D. kind of way of thinking that got me to search comparing yourself to others and I actually came across a great article that basically said there is no way to win when you compare yourself to others because there is no way it can be a fair fight, we approach things differently. The article also made a great point that if you start doing that you should change the question and see how you have changed, accomplished a goal you didn't think you would, quit a habit you never thought you would, or any other thing you have done that has taken you on the road to becoming the person you want to be. I don't know maybe it's corny and whatnot but if I'm going to do any comparing I think I'm better off comparing the present day me to who I was even five years ago. It's more realistic and more focused on me, which sounds very conceited but it is me who I want to change after all and not any one else. I have been freaking out because in about six months I will be hitting the big 3-0 and that combined with comparing where I was in life to where others are was really beginning to get to me and I was thinking I was a big failure. Then I found that article and got thinking, while still fighting sleep, that I may not have the house with picket fence, husband and kids but I have accomplished a lot and have really improved and became a better person over the years. Worrying about what others think of me and comparing what I have to what others have is pointless, this isn't a game to see who can accumulate the most just to brag about it, even though to many treat life like that. I may not be where some think I should be as I quickly slide toward being thirty years old but they don't know how much I have accomplished and overcame. I'll end this post with a great quote I also found while doing my random searches last night:

“Why compare yourself with others? No one in the entire world can do a better job of being you than you.” ~Unknown

Star Light, Star Bright

For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by stars and loved looking at them. I'm not graceful to begin with and there have been many trips, and near falls because I was mesmerized by the stars while thinking I could still walk. I personally suggest just standing still, it's easier to enjoy the stars and saves a near fall for another time. Every morning on my way to my car I have a habit, albeit a little strange to some, and I'll look up to the stars. When I walk out my front door I have a perfect view of the sky and many mornings the big dipper is there to greet me. I don't care how late I am, how much I had rather crawl back in the bed, or any other thing I'd rather be doing, the moment I look up at that sky and see all those stars I forget it all. Perfect example is this morning, all I wanted to do was sleep and stay warm under my covers, until I walked outside and looked into the sky bursting with stars. I was so caught off guard and amazed I said out loud 'Wow!' as I went in circles taking in the view. I'm sure if any of my neighbors ever see me do this they  think I have lost my mind but that's okay I don't really care what they think of me. Anyway, I think my fascination with the stars is one of the few ways and things that can actually get my attention for more than five seconds and helps me focus on what really matters. Like this morning, and most mornings if I'm honest, I'm walking out the door still half asleep until something like seeing the sky full of stars snaps me awake and makes me take the time to appreciate the true wonders of life. For that moment while I'm looking up at the sky going around in circles I remember what is really important in life and it's not what we all to often tend to focus on but taking those extra seconds to enjoy someones company, to stop and smell the flowers, or to take that extra second to look up into the sky and not worry that it may make you late for work or wherever you may be going. Do I always do this? Of course not, I have my moments when I just can't take the chance and risk being late to do whatever I may think I should do. Usually when I do that I still end up late and missed out on the opportunity to see and enjoy whatever it may have been that I felt like I had no time for. However, those times, like this morning where I take the time I have a nice memory and a deeper appreciation for what truly matters in life. I'm human and the troubles and worries of life will sometimes take over and make me forget that appreciation but what really matters is the fact that I don't let those troubles and worries get me so distracted I miss the next opportunity to be reminded of what I need to focus on because to many missed opportunities and it's hard to remember what is important and really makes a difference in life.

I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars. 

- Og Mandino 

Photography

Welcome to this edition of Ramblings of a Quiet Girl. For this post I will be rambling about photography and any other random thing that may come to mind while typing. Happy reading! Photography is one of my favorite things to do in my spare time, I'm not good at it but I still enjoy it. I never know if it's normal or not but often I catch myself constantly looking at landscapes, the sky, or just anything and seeing it as a picture in my head. Normally, when I come up with ideas and how things should look in my head it never turns out like I have it in my thoughts and it's also never as easy to get as I think it will be either. However, recently I have noticed that although my photography skills still need work more of my ideas and how I see things in my head are actually turning out like I envision them. Still need to work on how that works concerning my writing but I figure some things you just got to keep working on to find what works for you. Which is why I am refusing to give up on this latest re-write of my story, because in my head all, not even half, of the story has been told yet. Anyway, back to photography, I recently took a short ride to Shaker Town and was able to get some pictures. It's a very beautiful place to go to just look at all of the buildings and things the Shakers would build and how they lived. For me when I set out to go take pictures if I come back with one decent picture I'm happy and feel accomplished because in all honesty I never expect for them to turn out good. Now, I don't have a fancy camera or even use any fancy photo program but some times I don't think that matters anyway. I have seen people have a fancy camera (ones that I drool at and only dream of having) and no offense but their pictures didn't turn out any better than if I had taken them with my camera. So I think it's more in the user a lot of times than the camera. So basically, I love to take pictures, I'm ecstatic when I actually take a good picture, and I drug that way out because it's Friday and I'd rather be doing anything than what I'm really supposed to be doing (aka Work...yech!)