Nashville and Judah & The Lion

On Friday, April 12th, James and I excitedly packed our bags and drove to Nashville, TN for a long-awaited family reunion and to celebrate the success of my brother Nate's band Judah & The Lion. This fall, they won the Belmont Christian Showcase, so they had to privilege of playing live before thousands of people (including industry execs) that Saturday night in the Belmont Best of the Best Showcase. They were also set to release their second EP called Sweet Tennessee the following week. My parents and several of Nate's friends and mentors flew in from all over the country for the event. All of the other band members had similar support groups converging for this special night. So they planned a really nice after party at a local coffee house called The Frothy Monkey to honor their loved ones and everyone who had a hand in producing their new album or making the big show a success. It promised to be a very exciting and eventful weekend!

On Saturday morning, while Nate was busy getting everything ready, my family took some time to do a little Nashville sight-seeing. The city welcomed us with beautiful spring weather and foliage. After a late brunch, we took a walk through Centennial Park to see the cherry blossoms. Then we took a tour of the museum inside the full size replica of the Greek Parthenon. I got to see this impressive structure last time I was in Nashville, but didn't realize that if you went inside they have a full recreation of the temple's interior, including a giant statue of the Greek goddess Athena. Very cool.

That afternoon, Nate let us into the concert hall so we could watch their dress rehearsal. He asked me to take some photos of the band and the after party, so this was an excellent opportunity for me to get up close. It also gave me a good idea of how the performance would flow so I knew where to be at what time to get the best shots.

After the dress rehearsal, we went our separate ways for a short time. Nate needed to relax and do a few last-minute preparations before the big show. So my family went out to dinner to kill some time before the doors opened to the public. My cousin Amy and two of her sorority sisters drove down from Western Kentucky University for the show. We enjoyed catching up with them over a delicious meal!

It's been almost four and a half years since the last time I saw my cousin! Crazy!

The show started at 7:00 pm, so we arrived in plenty of time to get good seats. The performance took place in the school's arena, which seats 5,000 people! We sat off to the left side where we could see pretty well and I could get up easily to take photos. The whole atmosphere in there was electric! Booming music, professional quality lighting and pyrotechnics, big jumbo-trons on either side of the stage gave those in the back a good look at each performer, and of course, thousands of screaming fans!

The Belmont Best-of-the-Best Showcase featured the winners of the four genre-specific showcases they host every year (Rock & Roll, Country, Christian and Urban/Pop), plus several stars from the annual singer/songwriter night series. Each artist was incredibly unique and talented. But I promise I'm not exaggerating with familial bias when I say that Judah & the Lion out-shone them all. Incredible!

Prior to their performance, they played a nice video with interviews about the band's origins designed to introduce people to who they are and what they're all about. The videos were very well done. I wish it was possible to purchase a copy of the video they shot and put together. Ah well...

The show begins!

lead singer, Judah Akers

my brother with his banjo, beard, and new signature top hat

Back-up singer Dinah and mandolin player Brian

Other instruments include cello, upright bass, drums, fiddle, and Irish tin whistle

Several of Judah's baseball buddies rushed the stage with lions painted on their chests and his name painted on their backs.

The crowd loved it!

After the concert was over, each band had some tables set up in the lobby where they could display their band's swag and network with fans. I felt a little bad for the other bands because each of them had a handful of people in line, but J&TL's table was mobbed with a couple hundred people buying out their stock of tee shirts, stickers, advance copies of their new EP, and collecting autographs from the band members. We had to wait quite a while to snag a few minutes with the popular banjo player. So proud of him!

After the show, we drove to the Frothy Monkey for the after party! Nate recruited several girls who had been hard at work transforming the interior of the coffee shop into a swanky party space complete with custom decorations, food and drinks. The party was a lot of fun. The place was packed with smiling friends and family who couldn't wait to offer hugs and words of congratulations and encouragement to the band members. I enjoyed finally meeting the members of The Pride (as my brother calls his band family.) Everyone was extremely kind and had nothing but good things to say about my crazy little brother. =^)

Proud family. (James and I couldn't wait to don our new tee shirts.)

Above: Nate with high school Bible study leader Steve. Below with his CO gang

One of the best parts of the party was the private acoustic concert the band put on. They played four more songs, many of which were from their new EP. They have such great stage presence and invited us all into the music experience. People were singing along, clapping, stomping and dancing along with the beat. Between each song, the band members took time to thank their manager, lawyers, recording and sound technicians, all the people who helped with artwork, set decoration and putting on the party, not to mention all their beloved family, friends and fans. What a wonderful evening full of love and laughter!

Their manager introducing the band before their acoustic set

Nate standing on a chair and making one of many heartfelt thank you speeches

What a fantastic, memorable evening! Three days later, Sweet Tennessee was released on iTunes. On their first day, this new EP was #1 on the iTunes singer/songwriter charts, and rose to #25 over all. That is unbelievable considering their record was completely self-produced and promoted mainly through word-of-mouth. If you haven't checked it out yet, you can click the link below to download it on iTunes. (It's only $4.99 for 6 fantastic songs. What a deal!) Tomorrow they have their first meeting with big record companies. I'm looking forward to seeing how God directs their paths in the future. There is no doubt in anybody's mind that they are going to be big!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sweet-tennessee-ep/id633457105

Baby Update - 23 weeks!

We've made it past the half-way point of this pregnancy! Depending on how you calculate my due date, I'm now between 23 and 24 weeks along. It took several weeks for Tricare to process a referral so I could be seen by a doctor here in Montgomery. But finally, this week, I was able to complete my 20 week check-up and anatomy scan ultrasound. Glad to report that our little man is healthy!

As you can see, he is continuing to grow at a good pace. The doc said that I'm measuring a little big for how far along I am, but not outside the realm of what is considered normal. James and his brother Jon were both big babies so I'm guessing the newest Mr. Wentzel will follow in that pattern. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. ;^) It was good to hear that, although I already feel huge, I am right on track with my weight gain as well. Below is a picture taken on Easter when I was about 22 weeks. There is no doubt I've got a bun in the oven!

For the most part, I feel good during the day. He's a very active little guy so I'm often getting kicked and poked, but those movements are a fun reminder that he's down there. I've had a really hard time sleeping at night, though. I've reached the point where I'm not supposed to lie flat on my back and so I roll from one side to the other and back again every 30 minutes, trying to get comfortable. Even with a body pillow and lots of stretching, my hips get really, really sore after lying down for a few hours. I've also roused James multiple times screaming and gripping my legs after waking up with a terrible Charlie horse cramp. (Poor guy!) Add to that a stuffy nose from spring time allergies and the urge to get up and pee multiple times a night and it's a wonder I get any sleep at all! I'm sure our little bundle of joy will be worth all this discomfort, but I am already eagerly counting down to August.

I will have one more check-up here in Montgomery before we fly to Korea in May. Praying all continues to go smoothly and on schedule!

Rockin' Birmingham with Nate!

We can't wait to take our big trip up to Nashville next weekend for my brother Nate's band's performance at the Best of the Best Showcase at Belmont University. Part of our motivation in taking that trip was to spend some time with my hairy sibling. (haha) However, as the big day approached, Nate realized he would probably be extremely busy that weekend and may not have an opportunity to spend any quality time with family. So we decided on a whim to meet up Birmingham for an overnight fling in the city.

The fun began with seeing one of our favorite bands, Needtobreathe, in concert. I've honestly never been to a big rock concert like this before so this was a fun first to experience with family. (Caleb and Jordan decided to tag along for the concert as well.) The show was fantastic! I think our baby boys enjoyed it too - they were both rocking out in our bellies the whole night.

Waiting in line for the concert!

Can't wait for the show to start!

The guys bro'ed out down the row so the pregnant ladies could sit on the aisle. How thoughtful.

Needtobreathe!

SO many people! They said this was their largest headlining concert - well over 2,000 people!

One of my favorite parts was watching the different lighting and stage designs they created!

After the concert, the guys were excited to treat me to another new experience - my first midnight Waffle House run. It was exactly what I expected - delicious food, terrible service. But those waffles hit the spot!

We were able to find an affordable hotel room near the University of Alabama Birmingham that had two queen beds so Nate could crash with us over night. That way we could spend all day together on Saturday before going our separate ways that evening. After a delicious late breakfast at the hotel, we spent a couple of hours exploring the big children's science center in town. The guys especially enjoyed playing around with all of the interactive exhibits. We also watched an iMax movie in their dome theater about the migration of monarch butterflies. I haven't been in an iMax theater like that since Nate and I were small and went with our grandparents while on vacation. So it was a fun trip down memory lane.

After we'd seen and done everything we could at the museum, we went out for a late lunch and then enjoyed a long conversation in the coffee shop of a Barnes & Noble. It was a whirlwind 24 hour visit, but one that meant a lot to both of us. Can't wait to cheer him on in Nashville in a few days!