ACM After Party.....All Star Jam!!!!!!!!

This year at the awards show there wasn't a red carpet, there was an orange carpet. So here are a couple of pictures on the Orange Carpet. There is Lisa and me and Lisa and her sister Julie. And we are on our way to the biggest party in Vegas.

Okay you know how you go to a concert to see your favorite singer? Imagine them all performing on the same stage and that's what this party was like. Fran really knows how to throw a party. This is our table backstage. Oh YA we are having a big time.

Then there's.... Brenda,Rachel, and me.

Then there's the music. Here's a rundown... John Rich hosting the party... Randy Owen, Montgomery Gentry, Jake Owens, Emerson Drive, Miranda Lambert, Jewel, Luke Bryan, Keith Anderson, James Otto, Tracy Lawrence, Kenny Chesney...... Even Lisa's brother Bob sang with Kenny...... A little Margaritaville anyone?? The list goes on and on and on. But how do you close a party this big? How about Dr. Phil bringing out a surprise appearance from Reba with Ronnie Dunn.... And if that's not enough Kelly Clarkson joining in on a little Kansas City and Why Haven't I Heard From You. This was a night I know this band will never forget. The only way it could get better is.... We perform..... We get nominated..... We win...... Hey you have to Dream it to Believe it and you have to Believe it to Achieve it........ Tobi

Academy of Country Music Awards

You can only imagine how excited we were to go to the Awards Show this year. I have dreamed of this since I was 4 and singing loudly until my mom told me to shut up....... Now I sing until the band tells me to shut up. This was awesome. This is a picture of us when we left the hotel (standing in 100 degree heat) to go to the show. Then we arrive at the show and take our seats only to find out we are in the eighth row! Thank you, Fran Romeo. We were sitting across from Carrot Top (who is looking quite unusual these days). So, yes, if you watched closely, you may have seen my hair in some of the camera shots. It keeps getting better......Look at Garth....He's such a great entertainer. Wow! Look at this crowd. You all know we wanted to be on that stage so bad.

At one point I thought, and those who know me won't be surprised, I wonder what would happen if I just ran on stage and grabbed a mic. Oh I wanted to but Lisa wouldn't let me. She assured me that soon enough our time would come. So here we are thinking about that day!!!!!!

I could picture it...... Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Reba, Garth and Trisha, and.........MUSTANG SALLY YA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe next year..... We had a great time and can't wait until we do it again. Thanks to the ACM (Fran and Bob). See you next year... Tobi

SouthPoint Hotel and Casino

(Lisa and me when we first got in the hotel)
Viva Las Vegas........ Well it was our first year to be at the Academy of Country Music Awards out in Las Vegas.



So with all the details regarding flights and hotels you have to ask yourself, where do we stay? Our decision was made a little easier when our friend George told us that SouthPoint wanted to put us up for our entire stay. So let me say thanks to Michael Gaughan For the VIP treatment and the great rooms. SouthPoint, incidentally, is where they film Poker After Dark. This is the view of the pool and the casino. Well we might not have done so well in the casino, but the food was fabulous and the rooms were great. George, thanks for taking care of us from the airport to the hotel and back to the airport. We miss you... And thanks to the SouthPoint Hotel and Casino for taking care of Mustang Sally. We had a great Time....... Tobi

(George, Lisa, and Me)

Statesville, North Carolina... Dove House

The Statesville Rib Fest.... this was an event that the town put on to raise money for the Dove House. The Mayor brought us on stage and then we just played music and sang until we had to quit. The folks were great and we loved seeing the familiar faces. After the show we found out a little more about the Dove House. What a great cause. It's a shame that we need centers like this, but thank God we have them.

The Dove House is a non-profit organization that provides a safe and child-friendly facility to support the investigation, intervention, and successful prosecution of child sexual abuse cases. Unfortunately they stay busy and are in need of support so for more information and if you'd like to help go to the website.... www.DoveHouse.us or www.DoveHouseRibFest.com
We were happy to be a part of this event and will help out however we can..... Thanks Tobi

Dancing in the Street......

You can always count on the great state of Georgia to close the streets off and throw a party. I had to take this picture of Brenda and Sarah... Dancing in the Street.

We had a great time in Forsyth, Georgia. And to the restaurant that catered our meal........... Awesome.... Awesome.....Awesome. We can't wait to see you all next year. Tobi

A Louisiana Saturday Night

I can say this a thousand times...... It is so great to be back in Louisiana. We have so many friends there and it was great to see everyone. Beverly, thanks for the cookies....and the extra couple pounds that came with them. I laughed so hard our last night that my stomach hurt. The crowd was great. Can't wait to come back to Shreveport. Miss you all take care.... Tobi

Chattanooga - Riverbend Festival

This festival is a nationally recognized 9-day event that features over 100 artists performing on 6 stages along the banks of the Tennessee River. This is the second time we have been invited to play the festival. Headliners included ZZ Top, The Black Crowes, Little Big Town, Rodney Atkins, and Josh Turner. It's always great when we get to play in our home state. It was especially great to have Tobi's mom and step dad and Sarah's husband and sister in the audience. See you next year!

bz

Run, Run, Run

Brenda likes to run. It seems that in nearly every town we visit, she has already researched the local running trails, and sometimes finds 5km races to run. I’m really impressed by her dedication, because although I dabble at running myself, my reasons for running have nothing to do with enjoyment, competition, or sense of personal accomplishment. Mostly I run because it’s free and portable, and if I don’t do some kind of physical exercise I start to feel like Jabba the Hutt.

That being said, when Brenda mentioned that she was going to run a 5K fundraiser for Great Results Equine Assisted Therapies (GREAT for short) this weekend in Shreveport, LA, I thought, what the heck. Three miles, I can handle that. It might even be fun!

We finished our Friday night performance at 2 A.M., crawled into bed, and woke up at 6:30 to be picked up at 7 by our friend Beverley, who very graciously offered to drive us to the race. (For the record, Beverley stayed until the very end of our show, and then had to get up even earlier than us in order to pick us up- now that’s a friend!!) We arrived at the race site, registered, stretched, pinned our numbers to our shirts (I was lucky number 87), and away we went.

Mile one: I run like the wind. Ok, maybe not like the wind. But I run.

Mile two: I notice that my main competition is a man in his 60’s and an 8-year-old girl. I’m so cool.

Mile three: My knee says that getting three hours of sleep and then inflicting physical torture on it is just evil, so it decides to get even. I walk the rest of the race and tell my knee it’s being stupid and petty.

When I cross the finish line, Brenda and Beverley are cheering me on from the other side. My final time was 40:27, which considering I walked half the race was actually respectable. I mean, I wasn’t the last person to finish, people! Victory is mine!!

We went back to the hotel, and I promptly curled up under my blankets. As I drifted off to dreamland, I started thinking about the next race…

-Sarah