Good Morning everyone!!

It is Thursday morning of CCMA week and I am sitting this morning enjoying my morning Pepsi and “medicine” (breakfast of champions, don’t judge me), thinking, “I wasn’t even supposed to BE HERE!!”

This year’s CCMAs were off the table for so many reasons; I’ve been on a hiatus, my Dad has been sick, I just lost a close friend, we recently brought a house…. but here I am. To quote Meghan Patrick “…country music made me do it…..”

But here I am, getting ready to take this ride all over again.

I’ve missed this. I’ve missed live music. Going to Country Thunder Saskatchewan was what I needed. Despite the heat, the heat exhaustion, the IV, the thunderstorm, the shuttles….the lack of water in the Main Stage area on the first day (It was +40c. I was furious!), the entertainment was fantastic!

Lee Brice, Morgan Wallen….take my money. I want to do that ride all over again!!! Chad Brownlee was impeccable as always. And if anyone ever tells you that women can’t play the guitar, please show them Lindsay Ell. Watching her is magical. MAGICAL!!

Andrew Hyatt came out all in black and immediately regretted his decision. Despite the heat, he killed it like he always does. As did Bobby Wills. I was…uh…on an IV for Meghan Patrick and Washboard Union. But they sounded GREAT!!

Blake Shelton started off SOOOOOO GOOOOD. I thought, “Man! He’s back! This is GREAT!!” Then he brought out Gwen and people, including myself, started filtering out. The rest of him sounded good from the shuttle stand……

All in all, it had a lot of kinks but it was a great line up and a great way for me to come back. I won’t do the shuttle service again. It’s good if you REALLY have to. But I feel like I missed too much.

What it DID do is remind me how much I love music. How much I love seeing it live. How much I love writing about it and working within this industry, as big a pain in the ass it can be.

So here I am. Everything starts tonight! See you soon!