Fan of the Month

What a great way to keep the momentum going in 2012. After seeing Martina perform 3 times this year, I was selected as August Fan of the Month. Technically, seeing her in concert had nothing to do with me being chosen as FOM (it was random selection) but either way I chose to see a correlation. And little does Martina know that she showed up 3 times on my birthday wish list.

http://martinamcbride.com/news/90191

I have enjoyed being August fan of the month so much! It's really come at a great time in my life and in my experience with Martina McBride.

I've been a fan of Martina since long before I ever knew it. My mom and I used to listen to the Delilah radio show in the evenings when she would drive me around. I was singing along to "Valentine" as a 10 year old. A couple years later I was bobbing my head to 1999's "I Love You" from Runaway Bride (Julia Roberts happens to be my favorite actress and I own that movie). It wasn't until I looked it up this year that I put two and two together!

Well anyway, three years ago is when I fully began to fall in love with country music as a whole. I have Carrie Underwood and being an adult to thank for that. In 2012, I've been able to see Martina in Durham at DPAC, in Nashville at CMA Fest, and in Vienna, VA at Wolf Trap. I'm hoping that I can afford to see her one more time in the southeast. I think I cry at every performance, especially those big crowd two-minute long standing ovations at LP field. Actually, all she has to do is sing "Anyway", "Blessed", "God's Will", "Whatever You Say", lol the list goes on...and I might cry.

This July for my 25th birthday I asked my friends to help me fill in my Martina collection by gifting me with her greatest hits cds and Christmas album. My amazing friends came through! Slowly but surely I've been making McBride fans out of them.

At the end of July, I was heading back home from out of town and a friend asks if I'm going to listen to Martina on my 90 mile drive and I tell her "of course!". A few hours later I see that Tracy (Director of Fan Relations) has sent me an email. That's why I was so excited. It was just a continuation of a year's worth of blessings.

I meant what I said in my earlier posts about Martina's music affecting me. There is this level of intensity and honesty that comes through in her performances. I admire that and admire her a person, mother, friend, and wife. I wish I knew Martina for real but what I see and have read she sounds like someone I would enjoy being around on a regular basis. She is truly down to earth. She even tweets like a normal person "I desperately need a new bra. #Noneedtocomment #movingon" --I'm still laughing about that one.

I decided in January 2012 that if I ever got to meet Martina I would just like to giver her a big hug, probably cry a little, and ask her where she draws her inspiration and strength from. I think we all know that there is no one in the industry today who could deliver "I'm Gonna Love You Through It" or "Broken Wing".

I look forward to meeting more fans through the fan club and hopefully making long lasting friendships like I know others in the fan club have done! (They meet up at concerts, have regularly scheduled group chats, and raise awareness for each other when one gets sick with breast cancer for example, there are almost a dozen Komen-type groups within the fan club).

Enjoy the rest of your month folks! I have a couple more posts coming this week.

The best is yet to come,
~Adwoa