Ugh! I hate when people say that! Or, “Well, at my old job…[insert nails on chalkboard sound here]. I don’t want to be one of those people, but I fear I am. At least for a while, until I feel – well, like I belong.

Thanks to some really good friends, JD and I were the proud owners of tickets to see Brad Paisley in Austin a couple of nights ago. I have been looking forward to this since we left CA! The day finally arrived and in true JD fashion, we left the house much earlier than we needed to! It took us about an hour and 45 minutes to get there. It sounds far, but it really wasn’t. Was it longer than it would have taken to get from Camarillo to LA for a concert? Depends on the time, the day, the traffic. But I do know that an hour and 45 minutes on country roads beats the heck out of an hour and 45 minutes on the 101.

The venue was kind of out in the middle of nowhere. Parking was free (what?!!!) Unheard of where I come from!. Compare that to $30 to park in LA. Wait – it gets better! Even though it’s not that far, there’s a shuttle! I love this place! We quickly found our seats, which was easy because it was a pretty small setting (nice!). And when we sat down and I saw how close we were, I knew that was going to be my night to see Brad Paisley up close and personal!

Oddly enough, the price of beer wasn’t any less in TX than in CA. You’re out in the middle of nowhere, you can’t bring anything in, and it’s hot, so yes please, I’ll take two of those $10 cans of beer. Drink slowly JD. Drink slow enough to make it last, but fast enough to finish while it’s still cold! Where I come from, beer at concert venues is overpriced too!

Opening acts were good. Brad Paisley was awesome. He never disappoints, so much energy, great humor, great performance. I loved every minute of the show, but I found myself with a weird feeling every time he referenced “Texas”, or “Austin”. “How y’all doing tonight in Texas?”, or “Let’s make some Texas sized noise”. I actually felt uncomfortable. I half expected Brad (note the first name basis) to be interrupted on stage by security and have him stop the concert and say, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I’ve just been informed that there’s a car in the parking lot with California license plates. This can only mean there are imposters among us!”  Yep, that’s how crazy I feel! In CA they’d say, “How ya doing tonight LA?”, and I’d cheer – Woo! LA! Now I wasn’t really from LA. In fact, truth be told I never really liked to go into LA. But LA was my concert home and I felt like I belonged there. I don’t have that feeling of having a “concert” home yet, but I will. I’m not sure how long it will take – hopefully not too long. I’m looking forward to the day when “where I come from…” means Boerne, TX!

Oh, and did I get to see Brad up close? You betcha!