Thursday, May 15, 2014

Rite of Passage


I surprised Karah with Hunter Hayes concert tickets.
She loves him...and so do I.

A win-win, if you will.
She screamed!
 
We love us some young Country. 



She has just a few weeks left before she turns 12.
That's a big transition. She's a tweener...
and I adore every ounce of her cuteness.


We traveled to Springfield, MO for the concert and listened to his music the entire way.
It was like carb loading before a big race:)

We checked into our hotel and got our warm, chocolate chip cookies. 
The BEST reason to stay at a Doubletree :) 
Her tweener giddiness kicked into high gear.
Chocolate went a smearin'.







Chocolate lip gloss.


We arrived with plenty of time to lounge in the room, watch some HGTV (our favorite)...



And of course we left time for Karah to stand at the window and scream Hunter's name.
Surely, he was in the vicinity.






 Karah loved the square toilet in our hotel room.
So I took a picture of it.
Because that would be the normal thing to do, right?

I love that she inherited my appreciation for fine bathrooms. 
When I was a kid, I used to give my mom full reports on the bathroom conditions of various places we would visit. Hotels, restaurants, theaters, gas stations, etc.



I played a little trick on Karah and came out of the bathroom wearing my Demolition Derby tiger shirt.
I wish I had taken a pic of her expressions.
Priceless, embarrassment.


"How do I look?", i asked.
stammering...."Guh, guh...you look good" (nervous giggle)
she continued by saying, "So are is that what you are wearing to the concert?"
"Yeah! I thought I might get Hunter's attention if he saw the tiger eyes glowing in the audience."
I soon put her out of her misery and told I was just kidding...but I WOULD be sleeping in it that night.

She waved like a pageant queen whenever we were in the glass elevator together.




The excitement was unbearable for her when we arrived.
We got to see his tour bus and were able to walk right past it.
She screamed for him...but I guess he was too busy gelling his hair to come outside and talk to us :)


Giddy!



Danielle Bradbery (winner of The Voice) and Dan + Shay opened for Hunter.
They were amazing!





We were hoarse before he even hit the stage.



Hunter put on an awesome show! That guy has some serious energy.
Crazy talented.


I love this pic of Karah that I captured during the most beautiful song he sang.
I DON'T love the people's face in the backgrounds.
I could easily see this being submitted to awkward family photos or something.


That song, "Invisible", was so beautiful performed live.

Watch it:)


It was such a great night. She didn't want it to end.
After the final encore...she just sat there.
Couldn't even stand up.
She just kept saying, "Noooooo! It can't be over!"
(and it was a loooong concert...awesome long)


She got spoiled with a couple shirts, a hat, and a flashing bracelet.
We got back to the hotel after midnight but she wasn't too tired to skip the fashion show.




 







She could still feel the drums in her pulse and her ears were pounding.
All signs of a first-concert success!
 She finally passed out. 
I heard her singing his songs in her sleep in the middle of the night.


We enjoyed a lazy morning and room service breakfast.
It was so fun to just be with her and soak in all her positive energy and excitement for life.




She's my baby girl. 
She's growing up so fast...
and I count my blessings that I'm able to share moments like these with her.
Unforgettable.

Love you, Kinz.
The coming months and years will be those of great change.
There will be ups and downs in your teenage years...
but always remember the words to that song you love and remember...
You are not invisible.

Love,
The Mama Bear


Hunter Hayes:  "Invisible" 

Crowded Hallways are the loneliest places for outcasts and rebels
Or anyone who just dares to be different
And you've been trying for so long to find out where your place is
But in their narrow minds, there's no room for anyone who dares to do something different
Oh, but listen for a minute

Trust the one who's been where you are wishing all it was was sticks and stones
Those words cut deep but they don't mean you're all alone
You're not invisible
Hear me out, there's so much more to life than what you're feeling now
Someday you'll look back on all these days and all this pain is gonna be... Invisible
Oh, invisible

So your confidence is quiet
To them quiet looks like weakness but you don't have to fight it
Cause you're strong enough to win without the war
Every heart has a rhythm, let yours beat out so loudly
That everyone can hear it, yeah, promise you don't need to hide it anymore
Oh, and never be afraid of doing something different
Dare to be something more

Trust the one who's been where you are wishing all it was was sticks and stones
Those words cut deep but they don't mean you're all alone
You're not invisible
Hear me out, there's so much more to life than what you're feeling now
Someday you'll look back on all these days and all this pain is gonna be... Invisible
Oh, invisible

These labels that they give you just 'cause they don't understand
If you look past this moment, you'll see you've got a friend
Waving a flag, for who you are, and all you're gonna do
Yeah, so here's to you and here's to anyone who's ever felt invisible

Yeah....
You're not invisible
Hear me out, there's so much more to life than what you're feeling now
Yeah, someday you'll look back on all these days and all this pain is gonna be... Invisible
It'll be invisible



1 comment:

  1. Karah is so blessed to have such a wonderful Mommy! So proud of both of you and love you inside, outside, under, over and all the way through!

    ReplyDelete