30 Day Photo Challenge- Day 13

Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist

Today's challenge was to post a picture of my favorite band or artist. This one is a no-brainer. for sure! Collin Raye has been my absolute favorite singer since I was in high school. I think I had every single word of his first album, "All I Can Be" memorized. Right after my Guns 'N Roses phase I moved into Collin Raye. I don't know if my parents thought that was a blessing or a curse. I went from singing "Sweet Child of Mine" over and over and over and over (well, you get the point) to Collin Raye's entire album over and over and over and over. At least my Collin Raye obsession had more variety!

(Shhhh.... don't tell anyone.... My obsession with Collin Raye didn't actually come right after Guns 'N Roses. There was that embarrassing little "New Kids on the Block" phase.)

My high school boyfriend even had to learn to adjust to my constantly listening to Collin Raye. He was one of those guys that bought a piece of junk car just to put in a stereo system that was worth three times the car. I swear some days it would rattle right apart. Maybe the door would fall off as we were driving down the road. Perhaps the floor beneath my feet would finally give way when we went over the speed bump this time. No matter the condition of the car, the stereo system would be blaring full-blast everywhere we went. I was convinced I could hear Casey pull out of his driveway two miles away when he was on his way over to my house.

I got tired of the loud radio pretty quickly. I don't like the sound of bass, and the felling of bass makes my skin crawl. Of course, the "music" being played, full of screaming and cussing didn't help a whole lot. I gave Casey an ultimatum. I could either do the future driving in the car my parents let me use or he could put in Collin Raye. In the event I did go deaf from the vibration and noise, the last thing I heard would at least be a happy one. Casey picked giving Collin Raye a try, and he liked it. I created a monster! Now we would bump down the street with "Love, Me" on the very top notch of the volume control. I perfected the art of staring straight ahead at stop lights so I wouldn't make eye contact with the driver next to us.

Fast forward ten years. I'm now married and have just delivered my first child. Andrea was literally days old when I saw a commercial that Collin Raye was coming to Rawhide on Valentine's Day. My husband Daniel saw the longing in my eyes and said right then and there he was buying tickets. Wait! What are we going to do with Andrea? We certainly can't bring her to the recreated western city for a concert? Can we?

At six weeks old Andrea had her first sleep over at Nana and Poppa's house. I went to that concert and had the time of my life. It turns out only 1,000 tickets were available, and the concert venue was a large barn. It was more like having a personal party with Collin Raye singing than an actual concert. There were bails of hay set up everywhere as seats and a small dance floor in the middle. The best part is how cooperative the guests were. We each took turns getting as close to the stage as we could get. We were so close that I could see the Red tab on Collin's Levi jeans. I was in heaven!

For years I feared that choosing a concert over my fairly new baby made me a bad mom. I finally realized, however, that I would get to spend many, many nights with Andrea. There will be more than enough times that she chooses her friends or activities over my husband and I, and that is the way life is supposed to work. Living our dreams makes life fun, exciting, and worth living. I think going to that concert made me a better mom. I knew she would be okay without me by her side every minute, and I learned that taking care of me is part of caring for my family. Ah, what the heck..... we all know I'm saying those things to assuage my guilt. I had a fantastic time at the concert, I got to spend some time with my incredible husband, and the next morning when we picked up Andrea I got to hug and cuddle her all I wanted. Those few hours away were just the break I needed as a new mother.

Who is your favorite artist or band? Do you have special memories attached?