On Our Way To Crazy

Hi! Would you guys like another post about how busy I am? Great! I’m pretty sure that’s all I have to talk about these days.

Tonight is the first night I’ve been home for the evening with no guests in eight days. Eight days! That is out of control. This past week was GMA (Gospel Music Association) Week, which basically means that everyone connected to Christian music is in town for a whirlwind of interviews, showcases, parties, meetings and general insanity. Both of Aaron’s bands were in town all week and we were all running around like chickens with our heads cut off.

FRIDAY
Aaron and I drove up to Clarksville to see the guys play at some kind of town festival thing. Good crowd, fun hang out time with a couple of other band and all the Airheads you could eat. Very nice.

SATURDAY
The band (and two wives and two kids) came down to Nashville to settle in for the week. I took the wives on a sweet tour of homes where we decided to just buy one big fancy house for all of us to live in.

SUNDAY
After having our first youth service in ten months (which, yay!), I hosted the families at our house while Aaron took the guys to an interview. Then we tried really really hard to go to a wine tasting party with Sheryl Crow, but alas, it was not meant to be.

MONDAY
Monday was showcase day! You may remember last year, when I declared Aaron’s showcase day one of the best I’ve had. And I stand by that. This year he did it again, this time showcasing Danyew as well. It was the first time I’ve seen him play live, and you guys, it was pretty freaking great. (Shameless plug: download the ep for $5! Totally worth it! ‘Close Your Eyes’ and ‘Turnstile’ are my favorites.)

Now, obviously I am biased. But I have seen the band play a bajillion times, and I’m pretty sure the show on Monday night was the best one I’ve seen. Part of it was definitely the (packed!) club atmosphere, but they were just on that night. Which was good, since the place was full of managers and bands and radio guys. We finished the evening with dinner and pint night at Flying Saucer, and to top it off the booking guy picked up the tab. Excellent.

TUESDAY
Tuesday I actually had to work, which was kind of a bummer as all I wanted to do was sleep all day. But! Since Tuesday was the only night the guys had off, we loaded up and went to the Nashville Film Festival to see Hands On a Hardbody. Do you know about Hands On a Hardbody? It’s a documentary set in east Texas about a contest where a dealership gives away a (hardbody) truck to the contestant who keeps their hand on it for the longest period of time. It is amazing, and you need to stop reading this blog, go find a copy, and watch it immediately. They showed it on the big screen at NaFF and it brought me so much joy. Here’s a clip of my favorite character.

WEDNESDAY
Wednesday was a crazy work day for me. It is already the busiest day of my week, and this Wednesday was extra special because one of my senior girls was with me all day for her Senior Shadow Day. It was super fun to have her around all day, and it was really cool to get to show her what I do all day. Regardless, I’m pretty sure she still thinks my job consists of leaving facebook comments and looking for new ways to embarrass teenagers. The guys had a label party that night, and afterwards we ended up, again, at Flying Saucer. I love that place.

THURSDAY
Thursday! Thursday was the big day. The band was nominated for three Dove awards – Best Rock Album, Best Video, and Best New Artist. By this point in the week all of the wives and girlfriends and children of the guys had made their way into Nashville, and I spent most of the day running us all around town looking for last minute performance shoes and lip gloss and double-sided tape. We got all dressed up and made it to the Grand Ole Opry just in time to sit there for the SIX HOUR duration of the Dove Award preshow and telecast. Holy pajamas.

They performed (I can’t find video, but here’s a pretty sweet picture) at the beginning of the show, and biased or not, they were great. Christian music is the land of bland midtempo blahness, and they brought some seriously needed energy to the room. They didn’t win anything, but just in the last twenty-four hours Aaron has gotten a ton of response to their show. So we are counting it as a win.

Overall it was a great, if crazy week. I am tired, and Aaron is about twelve times as tired as I am. But they did what they came to do, we all had a good time, and we looked great, if I do say so myself.

I am posting this for the following reasons: I love surveys, I love talking about myself, I have been facing the posting white screen of death for days with nothing notable to say, Dooce told me to, and I am hesitant to post stuff like this on facebook. Because the kids I went to junior high with and the kids who are in junior high now are probably not interested.

I’m supposed to answer these questions about Aaron, that guy I married and get to hang out with every day. So here you go.

What are your middle names?
Aaron’s middle name is Kyle. My middle name is An. With one ‘n’. Which is totally awesome and not at all confusing. Hi mom!

How long have you been together?
We have been married for six and a half years, and together for nine. Nine!

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We met in December of 1998 and went on our first date on January 2, 2000, about two hours after I realized I liked and wanted to date him. So that was good timing.

Who asked whom out?
He asked me out, I guess. We’d been hanging out a lot, and had plans to go to the movies. He paid and drove and held my hand. I didn’t really know it was a date until then or that I wouldn’t be holding anyone else’s hand again after that night.

How old are each of you?
I’m 28 and Aaron is 30.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
Mine, I guess, but we don’t see any of them very often. My sister lives in Dallas, where our parents are, so we always see her when we’re in town. Aaron’s brothers both live in the Austin area, so it takes a little more planning and organizing to get together with them.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Work, I think, just in general. We both have jobs that we love, but that require a lot of time and personal involvement and emotional attachment. Those things take their toll on us, both individually and collectively. It’s a hard thing to figure out how to take care of each other when you both take care of other people all day every day. But we’re figuring it out.

Did you go to the same school?
Nope. I graduated from UMHB with a journalism degree, and Aaron has a music business degree from Belmont. He uses his every day. I have used mine zero days.

Are you from the same home town?
Technically, no. We’re both from the Dallas area, but different suburbs. I grew up in Mesquite and Aaron grew up in Garland, but our houses were about five minutes apart. We never knew each other when we lived that close, though, choosing instead to start dating four days before he moved 800 miles away.

Who is smarter?
Hmmm. I think I am more book smart… I always did well in school and am good with the bookish things. Aaron has the common sense and problem-solving skills that I lack, though, which is a much more practical way to live. My extensive editing skills don’t help us out nearly as often.

Who is the most sensitive?
Oh my holy moly, I am.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
The best restaurant in Nashville is a little Greek place called Kalamata’s. They recently opened one near our house, and we eat there so often that when we walk in they start making our food. I love it with my whole heart.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Cancun? We haven’t done much traveling. We’ve worn out the road between Nashville and Dallas, though.

Who has the craziest exes?
Hee. This is an excellent question. I think we are probably pretty even on this one, but Aaron definitely has better stories. That I am not going to tell you.

Who has the worst temper?
You know those people who can let things just roll right off their backs? Who don’t get worked up and are always trying to find middle ground and solve the issues? Who always want the good of the relationship over winning the fight? One of us is that kind of person. And that one? Is not me.

Who does the cooking?
I do most of the cooking, which is kind of a new thing for us. Aaron is totally competent in the kitchen. But I am the one who finds new recipes and plans the meals and does the shopping and puts most of the food together. It works for us, and no one has been poisoned. Yet.

Who is the neat-freak?
Aaron believes really strongly that everything has a place. I tend to think, if it made inside the house, we’re doing pretty good.

Who is more stubborn?
If our stubbornness were put on both sides of a teeter-totter, it would be the most perfectly balanced teeter-totter of all time.

Who hogs the bed?
MILES.

Who wakes up earlier?
We are not morning people. At all. So the person who wakes up earlier is the one who has somewhere to be first. And the other one gloats and goes back to sleep.

Where was your first date?
We had dinner at El Fenix and saw Fantasia 2000 at the IMAX in Dallas.

Who is more jealous?
I am jealous that he can wear the same black and grey clothes every day and no one notices. He is jealous that I can get away with wearing tank tops in public.

How long did it take to get serious?
It got serious pretty quickly. We dated long distance for two and a half years, and it sucked. I wouldn’t have been up for that at all with anyone else.

Who eats more?
Definitely Aaron. He’s the guy who eats a PB&J twenty minutes after dinner.

Who’s better with the computer?
If it can be fixed by turning it off and back on, I’ve got it covered. Anything else is all Aaron.

Who drives when you are together?
Aaron. I am not a great driver, but I am an excellent navigator and controller of the ipod.

Who does the laundry?
We have separate closets in separate rooms with separate hampers, and we pretty much each do our own laundry. Actually, I say it’s because of the separation of clothes, but it’s really because we both think the other one does it wrong. (I’m just saying. They’re called dryer sheets. Maybe you should look into them.)

So there you go! Way more information about us than you were ever interested in. Now go answer the questions about yourselves so I can be nosy.

So Aaron turned 30. And we all survived it.

We went back and forth and round and round about what to do for his birthday. His original plan (which he now swears was a joke, but I am unconvinced) was to have a laser tag sleepover. I know that right now you’re thinking about how awesome that would be. And you are correct. However, it is excessively expensive to rent out a laser tag place overnight. Just FYI.

Then he offered me three options: a flat screen TV, a trip to see the Cowboys play, or a beach vacation. I, of course, jumped on the beach vacation idea. It wasn’t meant to be, though… we couldn’t afford to fly, stay and eat in any of the places we wanted to go. We could have done two of the three, but somehow I couldn’t make that work. So the vacation got pushed into next year.

Obviously, if you read this blog, you know that we decided to go with the TV. We shopped and researched and shopped and researched and came home with a 47″ Philips TV from Costco. It has a lot of features that have various initials for names and I don’t know what any of them mean, but Aaron is thrilled so I am too. It’s funny, though… we picked it out at Costco amongst rows and rows of TVs, most of which were significantly larger than the one we bought. Ours seemed small in comparison. Then we brought it home and put it in our living room and all of the sudden it’s the biggest TV there has ever been. Seriously, this thing is huge. I’m not complaining, I’m just saying. It’s a big TV.

The TV was a pretty big deal. And Aaron’s family was coming in to town for his birthday and we were going out to a fancy dinner. That’s good, right? That’s a good set of birthday hooplas. But it wasn’t enough. Not enough for me, anyway. The TV and a steak would have been plenty for Aaron. But I needed more. This was an OCCASION. It needed to be CELEBRATED.

So I decide, a week and a half out, that I should throw a surprise party. I get to planning and being sneaky and inviting and hiding cupcakes and beer at friends’ houses so Aaron doesn’t know about it. And his birthday comes along, and we all go out to dinner but the wait is an hour and we are already running late and Aaron decides he wants to go somewhere ALL THE WAY ACROSS TOWN and I am freaking out because we are supposed to be home in an hour and we haven’t even started eating yet but THEN (!) the hostess at the new place is one of our old youth group kids so I pretend to go to the bathroom and grab her and tell her to please have the waiter move as quickly as possible without being obvious and he does a pretty good job until he asks at the end “Did I move quick enough for you?” but Aaron is oblivious and we drive home and walk in the door and all of our friends jump out and give Aaron a heart attack.

It was PERFECT.

We have great friends and I have a great husband and it was an all around great night. Happy happy birthday, Aaron. I hope the next 30 are as awesome as the last, and I promise next time I really will listen when you say you don’t want a party.

Six years! How on earth did we get here?

Sorry to write the third concert-related post in a row, but I have to tell y’all this story. It is insane.

Monday night, as part of GMA week, we got passes to go see Jars of Clay and Switchfoot. Jars of Clay is one of my most favoritest bands, so I was pretty excited. Switchfoot I could take or leave… I like a lot of their stuff, and the show was good, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to see them again.

(Third Day was on the show, too, but as I am pretty sure they don’t only play songs from their first two albums in their shows, I wasn’t too interested.)

The show was at the Wildhorse Saloon, which is this huge country bar place that has a giant dance floor with tables all around. We were standing on the left side of the floor, kind of near the edge. Jars of Clay came out and put on a pretty good show… they did a lot of new stuff, which I liked a lot, but they seemed kind of out of it and it was weird to see them in an opening spot.

So then Switchfoot comes out, and everything is all fine and good, they’re doing fun songs and the crowd is really into it and Jon Foreman touched Julie’s hand. We are in roughly the same spot, and there is a table kind of behind us. At that table is a guy we’ll call Big Crazy Dude.

Now I am assuming, as a general rule, that you have been to a concert before. You are aware of the fact that, especially in a general admission show, people move around. They shift and adjust and the people you start out next to are probably not the people you’ll end up next to. It’s just how it goes. It’s live music – people clap and bounce and dance a little. It’s not a motionless event.

I don’t think Big Crazy Dude was aware of that. Clearly this was his first concert, and possibly his first time out in public. About halfway through Switchfoot’s set, Aaron gets a push in the back. He turns around, and the conversation goes like this:

Aaron: What?
BCD: Get out of the way.
Aaron: Huh?
BCD: You’ve been moving in front of us for three songs.
Aaron: Are you serious? *looks around* Where am I supposed to go?
BCD: I already asked you nicely.
Aaron: What? It’s a concert, man. People move.

So he turns around and we exchange that ‘what is up with this guy?’ look with each other and with the people around us. A few minutes later, and I swear I am not making this up, BCD comes up around the side of Aaron and stands directly in front of him. As in, it would not surprise me if he was standing on Aaron’s toes. Now, Aaron is a big guy, and this guy easily had six inches on him in all directions. And he is literally standing right in front of him. The conversation goes like this:

Aaron: Dude, what are you doing?
BCD: I asked you to move.
Aaron: Are you serious?
BCD: You kept sliding over in front of us until we couldn’t see.
Aaron: It’s a CONCERT. With music. That people move to. What did you expect?
BCD: I asked you nicely to move and you didn’t. You brought this on yourself.

Sidenote: This guy was easily in his late thirties and was wearing a Third Day t-shirt with a Bible verse on the back. Also, around this time in the show Jon Foreman started moving out into the crowd and BCD started rotating AROUND Aaron to stay in his line of vision.

Aaron: You can’t come in here and sit at a table and expect to have a perfect view.
BCD: You got in my way, now I’m getting in your way.
Brandi: *laughing* Is this a joke?
BCD: Nope. Just giving him a taste of his own medicine.
Brandi: Right. Because that is totally what Jesus would do.

At this point Aaron turned around and took the stool BCD had been sitting on and sat down. BCD was just about sitting in his lap.

Aaron: Hey, man, you’re right. I’m sorry I came to a show to see a band I like. I’m sorry I didn’t stand still through all the songs. I’m sorry I sought you out and deliberately stood directly in front of you. I’m such a jerk. You have taught me a valuable lesson.
BCD: Funny.

It went on like that for a while. Clearly BCD had no intentions of leaving. It was insane. All the people around us were moving and shifting and trying to give Aaron a better view. The girl in front of me told BCD that she teaches 5th graders and they behave better than he did.

Then they started singing Radiohead’s “High and Dry”. Aaron taps BCD on the shoulder.

Aaron: Hey man, do you know this song?
BCD: No.
Aaron: Really? Is it because it’s not by Third Day?
BCD: What?
Aaron: It’s by a band called Radiohead. You should check them out.
BCD: Whatever.

That’s right, y’all. Aaron decides that the way to win this battle is with MUSIC SNOBBERY. Genius.

No lie, BCD stood directly in front of Aaron for at least 30 minutes. He finally started moving back around the table when Switchfoot finished their set… but then they came out for an encore. And he came back! You guys! He came back! It was so awesome. He was determined to make Aaron miss Switchfoot’s set, and he would not rest until he did it. Insane.

We left when the encore was over, and Aaron gave him a nice “Enjoy Third Day” on the way out. Neither he nor his wife looked at us when we walked by.

It was one of the most crazy things I have ever seen. Seriously! Who does that? Is this typical behavior from Third Day fans? Christian music fans? GMA attendees? Nashville tourists? I have no idea. But let me warn all of those people… don’t mess with Aaron. He will break you down with his music knowledge. I know you’re scared.

Oh my gosh, you guys. YOU GUYS. I am going to say this, and it is going to sound a little extreme, but it is absolutely true: Yesterday was one of the very best days I have ever had. Seriously.

Yesterday morning was a great one for the youth. We had four kids get baptized yesterday. Four! It was crazy. Over the last few weeks they all approached me separately to talk about it and it all came together yesterday. It was really special – just knowing these kids’ stories and how they got to where they are… it was a big thing, y’all.

(Also, and it feels weird to even type this but I wanted to get it in print for the days that really really suck – our senior pastor told the WHOLE CHURCH yesterday morning that I am one of the best things about GracePointe. He was probably just trying to be nice, but still. Whoa.)

Yesterday afternoon Aaron had a lot of errands to run, so I was on my own. It was an amazing beautiful day, and I spent about three hours laying on a blanket outside reading. Fabulous.

Yesterday evening was a really big one for us, Aaron in particular. This week is a big industry week for him, full of conferences and lunches and showcases and meetings. A couple of months ago, in preparation, he was trying to figure out the best way to showcase his two bands, Remedy Drive and Jackson Waters. Their labels weren’t putting anything together, so Aaron decided to just do it himself. He got himself a sponsor, a club, some supporting acts and a fancy invitation and before we knew it, we were putting on a show.

I don’t know that I can make it clear how big of a deal this was for Aaron. It was like a coming out party for his company. He started this business for these two bands, and last night was his first opportunity to show people what he’s got. Failure wasn’t really an option.

As it got closer, Aaron was getting visibly more nervous. All of our conversations centered around it. How many people would come? Did we remember to invite everyone? What songs should they do? Do we open the bar? Charge admission? How long should the sets be? WHAT IF NO ONE COMES?!!?!?!

Last week Aaron had taken to saying that 75-100 people would be awesome. The club is split into two levels, and that number would fill the bottom half really well. It’s important for the place to feel full, you know? So that was kind of the plan… block off the stairs and fill up the bottom level.

Y’all. When I got there at 8:30 (the show started at 9), there were easily 100 people there. By the time Remedy Drive went onstage, there were 250. When Jackson Waters went on, there were people everywhere. Both levels full, every stool taken, the stairs packed with people. They were spilling out into the courtyard and the bar area. There were people EVERYWHERE.

Who are these people? Where did they come from? How did they know about the show? I have no idea. There were about 20 of our friends there, plus the label people and some festival and booking people. But seriously, between the two of us, we maybe knew 100 of those people. I don’t know who everyone else was or where they came from, but they were there in droves. It was unreal.

It was such a huge night for Aaron. It could not have been bigger or more successful. Both of his bands put on amazing shows and there were tons of people there to see them. I have never been so proud as I was last night watching lines of people wait to talk to him after the show. It’s like he (and his company) are legitimate now, if that makes any sense. He went out on his own, he has two great bands, and he put on a great showcase. Because he is awesome.

Friday night our new friends Jacob and Katie came over and hung out. At one point I asked Aaron what time it was, and he made me guess. I went with eleven, but it was actually 1:30, so they went home. I like new friends that you can sit and talk with for six hours without realizing it.

During that talk I told a story about how Aaron, Susan and I had gone to IHOP once after a concert and I ordered pancakes because I love pancakes. I mean, I really really love pancakes. I would eat them for every meal if I could. They are so delicious. Anyway, not only do I love pancakes, but I love playing with the food that’s left on my plate after I finish eating. I cut it into tiny pieces, or draw lines in it with my knife, or build little castles with it. It’s a problem. So after I had finished eating my pancakes, I still had some left. I took the straw from my water glass and stuck it in my pancake to make a circle. When I picked up the straw, the little bit of pancake stuck inside it. So I started making holes all over the pancakes and the straw started filling up with little pieces of pancake.

I thought this was pretty cool. Aaron thought it was pretty gross. I am unsure of what Susan thought.

Once the straw was totally full of pancake pieces, I held it with one hand and used the other to squeeze the pancake pieces out of the straw. This is where things got awesome. The pancake pieces came out in one long strand, making a giant pancake worm. It was the ultimate playing-with-your-food discovery. Pancake worms! Who knew!

I like to tell this story because I think it is funny and it makes me want to eat pancakes. Aaron does not like for me to tell this story because it grosses him out but also somehow makes him want to eat pancakes.

Saturday morning we slept in pretty good. Aaron got up before I did, but he closed the door behind him and left Miles in the bedroom with me. Miles hates that because if he doesn’t have easy access to both of us at all times he starts freaking out. It’s a hard life. So I got up to let Miles out of the room and found Aaron in the kitchen. Making me pancakes. From scratch. Scratch!

How awesome is that? To show my appreciation, I refrained from making pancake worms out of them. But I sure wanted to. Because I love pancakes. And pancake worms.

Cleaning supplies to get the house ready for the video shoot: $25

Snacks for the band and video guys: $50

Video equipment fee: $1000

Starting a company to manage the band: um, lots of dollars

Coming into the room to find Aaron playing makeup artist: priceless

The clothing gods have smiled on us. And also they hate us.

We have a black tie optional wedding to attend next Saturday. We do not, as a general rule, attend fancy occasions. Our jobs don’t really provide them anymore, and most of our friends are married. We just don’t do dressy all that often.

So we needed to buy Aaron a suit. He wears a suit… never. Seriously. His suit-needing occasions are spaced out perfectly – we have to buy a new one every time because the old one doesn’t fit anymore. The last time he needed a full suit was for Steffanie’s wedding, and that one is definitely not an option this time around.

Last fall we attended a semi-fancy event for my old job. Aaron bought a nice jacket, but because it was a music thing, could get away with wearing it with jeans. I found a great black halter dress with beading around the middle that I just loved. So in planning for this upcoming wedding, I figured I would just wear that dress again. No problem.

So last night I finally got Aaron out to shop for a suit. (I honestly think he thought that if he didn’t have anything to wear, he wouldn’t have to go. WRONG.) This is where the clothing gods smiled on us. He walks into Macy’s and what does he find? The pants that match the jacket he bought last year for the Reba thing. Dark grey with a slightly lighter grey pinstripe? Check. Calvin Klein? Check. Do they fit perfectly and are they on sale? Yes they do and yes they are. Holy moly.

He is thrilled to be done and get out of there, and I am thrilled that we are avoiding a last minute mall rush the afternoon before the wedding. We grab dinner and head home. I make him try it all on together to make sure it matches and everything will work. It fits, it matches, it’s perfect. Yay.

Then I decide to try on my dress and shoes to make sure it all works and I’m ready to go. And this is where the clothing gods started to hate us.

I don’t think I like that dress anymore. It fits funny in the top, it’s a little big all over, and I kind of hate the skirt. I think I need a new dress.

Here’s the thing. I love shopping. LOVE. I love clothes and shoes and bags and fashion magazines and jewelry and everything that goes with all that stuff. BUT. I don’t get dressed up that often. Most of my time is spent in cords and sweaters. I don’t want to buy a new dress. I want to spend the money on boots and a new bag and some of those sweaters I have my eye on at Anthropologie and a bunch of cheap jewelry from Forever 21. I don’t want to buy a dress I will wear once and then hate in two years when my next fancy event comes up.

So. I am going to go as simple and classic as I can. Also, hopefully, I am going to the sale rack. We will see. Wish me luck.

At least Aaron is going to look fantastic.

(If you found this post by googling song lyrics, that song is called “Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop” and it’s by Landon Pigg. You are welcome.)

Tonight we continued our Valentine’s Day tradition of spending ten minutes and 20 dollars at Target in a massive speed shopping extravaganza, followed by takeout from Pei Wei. Aaron got a couple of t-shirts, pushing his collection into the thousands, and a huge bag of fun size peanut M&Ms. I got some sweet glitter gel pens, a cheese slicer and a fat daddy box of Mike and Ike’s. If you’re in the market for a sugar rush, just come by our house.

I love doing this. There is zero pressure to come up with an awesome gift. There are no freakishly expensive roses bought at Publix on the way home from work, no heart-shaped ruby and yellow gold necklaces, no Whitman’s sampler, no forced romance. Just a silly game and some yummy food. It’s the best.

One of the things that drew me to Aaron was his lack of sappiness. He is practical and level-headed, almost to a fault. I’d had my fair share of boyfriends who were heavy on the cheese and the mushy and the overwrought emotion. It was so nice to be around a guy who just said what he thought, thank you, the end. I didn’t miss the extra words. There’s no hole in my life where the giant mylar balloons used to be. I love that the sweetest, most romantic moments in our marriage have taken place on random Tuesdays at the kitchen table, not a stuffy restaurant on Valentine’s Day. Last year I got bookshelves for our anniversary and it was the best gift ever.

But just because Aaron isn’t sappy doesn’t mean I can’t be, at least a little. So today I am thankful for the spanglish, the birthday hug monkeys, the pillow stealing, the houseplan drawing, the neighborhood walks, the late night drives, the Friday Night Lights marathons, the concerts, the marketing books, the football, the Kinky Friedman poster, the endless snooze button, the random band members in the living room, the cowboy boots, the chicken tacos, the t-shirts and hoodies, the seat warmers, the surprises, the made up songs, the comfort, the challenge and the oceans of Mike and Ike’s. It’s a good life.