Better Together

My first concert at Bonnaroo with
Austin, Olivia, Chase & JD

Before you get too excited about seeing a new blog post.....we don't have any news to share as of today.  Our paperwork is currently at USCIS and we hope to hear an update in the next two weeks.  Despite feeling pretty frustrated, I'm pretty proud of the way we've handled this minor setback and how we've kept ourselves relatively busy.  

So, what's one thing that we've done in the last three weeks? 

Bonnaroo.

Yes, that's right, after all these years of saying I would never go, I wound up going. For the past couple of years, it's become a tradition for the Cooper siblings to camp at Bonnaroo and attend the entire event, with most years even including Austin's dad (Skip).  I always said it wasn't my scene and never had any desire to attend.  The only exception to that was if Jack Johnson ever made his way back to the farm, then I might consider it.  The scheduled headliner this year was Mumford & Sons and while I like their music, I wasn't the least bit sad thinking that I would miss their performance.  On Thursday night, I heard on local radio that their bassist had been hospitalized with an aneurysm and they might not be able to perform.  Rumors began swirling as to who the replacement would be and by Friday night, it was official--Jack Johnson was going to be the replacement headliner.  Austin was already there and we began texting about whether or not I should try to find a ticket.  By Saturday morning, I had almost convinced myself that the whole process of finding a legitimate ticket along with the logistics of trying to get myself there was just too much to deal with.  Austin and I continued to text until Saturday afternoon when I took a chance and looked on StubHub.   They had ten tickets remaining.  I could hear the advice of my sweet friend Melissa who days before had said to me:  "Abby--if you have anything you want to do before Shay comes home, do it now."  I thought this was one of those opportunities to be spontaneous and within 30 minutes, I had bought a ticket, packed an overnight bag, grabbed my pillow and arranged Skip to pick up me up in Murfreesboro and drive me down.  Less than two hours from when I bought  the ticket, I was standing in Centeroo with Austin, Chase, Olivia and JD.     


It turned out to be an absolute blast--seriously, it was so much fun!

Yes, it's pretty gross there.  
Yes, there are some strange people doing strange things.  
Yes, there are lots of hippies (which I happen to sorta like).  
But you know what?  It was pretty much awesome. 
We sang at the top of our lungs, we danced crazily, we avoided being crushed by people crowd surfing, and we laughed to the point that I couldn't catch my breath.  

We made memories.  

In the pit, waiting on
Jack Johnson to begin

It was one of those moments where I know I will look back years from now and smile thinking about it.  I realize that once Shay comes home, I know life will be a new kind of wonderful, but it also will be different.  Last minute plans to attend Bonnaroo aren't so easy to work out when you have a little one at home.  And while I am desperately waiting for that day to arrive, I'm thankful in the meantime to be making memories that I'll cherish for a lifetime.  

One of my favorite Jack Johnson songs (and there are a lot) is Better Together. If you don't know the song, take a listen.  The lyrics below have lots of significance for where Austin and I find ourselves.


Love is the answer,
At least for most of the questions in my heart
Like why are we here? And where do we go?
And how come it's so hard?
It's not always easy and
Sometimes life can be deceiving
I'll tell you one thing, it's always better when we're together

We truly are better together.