Southern Weekend

This is my third draft for this post. I was going to write about the great weekend I had and just do the straightforward version of events and the people and places we saw or went.

Then I figured that would be about as boring as me bringing out the vacation photos while you were visiting my house for dinner.
My mamma raised me better, so I won't do that.

This weekend was a country weekend through and through.  It was a benefit weekend for the Hudson Family Foundation with an auction and dinner one night and then tickets to a Luke Bryan/Jason Aldean concert the next night.

L to R: Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan

This post will be from the perspective of someone who isn't particularly well-versed in baseball or current country music.  PLUS I had invited my friend from Canada who most certainly is NOT a country music/baseball person.  She had fun regardless because my friends are fun.

   Good old friends and a great new friend. The girls rollin' in the limo.

Baseball, you ask?  The Hudson Family Foundation  is run by Kim and Tim Hudson. He's a Braves pitcher and I know them from preschool days with our kids.  This means that at this dinner were regular people like us and baseball players---also regular people who happen to play baseball for a living.

Most of the night was spent perusing the auction items and trying to figure out who the various players were.  I think they should have had to have worn their uniform shirts or maybe name tags at the very least.  That would have saved me countless minutes of asking others, "Who is that guy in the white cowboy hat?" and "Isn't that so-and-so?"

Another highlight of the night was my girlfriend, Kim,  getting a ball signed by Tim Hudson for her son.  To save the moment for posterity, we had a picture taken with said ball.  This picture is probably picture 1,225,327.  God Bless digital cameras.  She looked perfect in every one. It was me that couldn't get situated.  That's the reason for me not looking at the camera.  By that point I was trying to make the picture more artistic.  I'm sure I succeeded.

Me trying to be artistic. That is THE ball...signed by Tim Hudson. And my friend Kim. Looking lovely.

The other highlights were my sweet boots and cupcakes.  Sweet on both counts.

Cupcakes and Tim Hudson.  Covert picture by Kim.  Boots not shown. Bummer.

Lots of money was raised from the auction for scholarships and other children's charity programs.  Success!

Saturday night was the concert.  Oh man. I'm not as young as I once was.  I had to nap before the concert to be sure I'd make it through the whole thing.  I'm such a lightweight.

In the preceding weeks I had downloaded the music from Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean onto my iPhone and was listening to them all the time so I'd at least know some of the lyrics.  My memory isn't what it used to be.

 I ended up humming a lot during the concert.  Kim, my partner in country music, and I would continually look at each other and wonder if the artist would play the one song we knew..."Big Green Tractor" anyone?

Kim and I  at the concert...we had great seats!

Now it is Tuesday of Thanksgiving week and I think I've caught up on the missed sleep.  I'm sure I have new bags under my eyes.  That's the price I pay for a fun time!

We're thankful for this past weekend full of great friends, great times, great adult beverages, great bus rides, and great music.  And now I'm thankful for a week of school vacation.