Almost every year since 2005 I have gotten the chance to see Josh Gracin in concert. Sometime in April 2014 I discovered that he was performing in Marion, Ohio, at 'Holy Cow Bar and Grill'. It was the closest he would be to Binghamton and I knew I had to go. I asked my mom if she would go and at first she said she was not driving seven hours to Ohio just for a concert. That was when the "But mom it's not just a concert I want to spend the weekend with just you." Those last three words were more than likely what changed her mind. At that point I hadn't seen her much in the past few months and was struggling to share her with my housemate. Two days before the concert I got my answer we were going to Ohio just the two of us. I don't think I'd ever packed my bags faster I just wanted to be able to have 'mom time' and she had answered my pleas. I will never forget that road trip, the concert or memories we both share.
On the morning of June 19th we loaded up her 99 Camaro and began the seven-hour drive to Marion. We made perfect time only stoping once or twice and got to Marion with enough time to grab dinner,check in at the hotel, find the venue and buy tickets, and stop at T.J Maxx for a new pair of flip flops. At the last possible second before the concert I showed my true colors as her daughter and decided I did not want to wear any of the shoes I had brought with me because they hurt my feet.
The concert was awesome because it was in a smaller venue and acoustic. At one point between songs I asked for my favorite song and my mom was surprised I actually did it. My mom had originally talked me out of the meet and greet but as we were leaving I changed my mind and got in line anyway. As we talked to Josh while he tried to find a shirt in my size and signed my shot glass we talked about seeing him in the past and he remembered meeting us in the lobby of 'Turning Stone' in Verona, New York, seven years prior. As we walked out of the bar and headed back to the car my mom was basically peeling me off the sidewalk. I had seen Josh eight other times and he had remembered me from one of the first shows I had ever been to. The next morning the drive home began but was full of detours. We stopped places for both her and I and ended up making a seven-hour drive take 10 hours.
That weekend was awesome not just because of the concert but because of the time I got to spend with my mom. I am so thankful I got to spend that time with her because trips like that where it was just us are sometimes rare.
