listening to old alabama

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I have lived in the Washington, D.C.,  area for nearly 12 years, but at my core I was Born Country. Naturally, when the 1980s country band Alabama announced its reunion tour I would be going. I reached out to friends whom I knew would be as In A Hurry to buy tickets as I. I hopped a plane to Take Me Down to Atlanta for the show at the Fox Theater with my friends Cassie, Whitney, Monty, and Shannon. 

With Monty and her hat

As Cas + I were checking in to the Georgian Terrace , I looked left to see Randy Owen, Alabama's lead singer. I should have asked for a picture. I should have told him how his simple, southern lyrics have played like a Jukebox in My Mind since I was a child. I feel like he might have been amused to hear how in college we'd always turn up Tennessee River at tailgates, how once at a Capitol Hill house party an Old Flame was so impressed at my stellar clogging moves to Mountain Music he invited me home to meet his family, or that my match.com headline read Dixieland Delight, probably my most favorite song of all time.  I didn't, though. I was too cool.

The view from the Cheap Seats  

Later that night, long after he'd opened up his case, we did see band member Jeff Cook at the hotel, and he couldn't have been nicer to all us silly fangirls (and one guy: Whitney's husband, Jason, likes Alabama so much he asked to join our girls' group and well, You Can't Keep a Good Man Down).

Jeff and The Fans

The concert was a great excuse to build a girls' trip down in Dixie, and while I was there I got to see friends and family for whom Georgia is Down Home. I stole a night in the 'burbs with my cousin, Kim.  My high school friend, Melanie, met us for dinner before the show.  

We get together anytime we can. 

After our night in Atlanta, a few of us made plans to Roll On into a High Cotton resort and spa. All of it made for a getaway that was Close Enough to Perfect for Me.