When she spoke of my Kid Rock obsession, my friend Karie used her most serious tone and said, "She's got it bad". Since yesterday afternoon, having it bad has felt damn good on so many levels.

At 10:30am I left in the big red van and drove 274 miles to the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. My friend Theresa had booked us a hotel nearby that offered a complimentary shuttle to the casino that runs until 2am. Our main objective wasn't to gamble, it was to attend an 8pm performance by Kid Rock and the Twisted Brown Trucker band!

First of all, the casino is gorgeous! The decor has nature themed areas with beautiful theatrical lighting, sculptures and water features everywhere. The food and beverage service is impressive. As we shared a meal at the Birch Bar and Grill, we agreed the meal alone would have made the entire trip worthwhile. When ready for our tab we ordered another round of drinks to take with us into the casino. Theresa threw her hand up in the air and said, "It's like a free country in here!" It was wonderful to share my first child-free get away in 4 years with a friend of 30 years. The last time she and I went out as a duo was nearly 15 years ago. Of all the years we've been friends, she is happier and healthier now than I've ever seen her. I struggle to find words to describe how good that makes me feel.

The show was insanely amazing! He played most of my favorite songs. I managed to sneak up front, belly to the barricade for 4 or 5 songs before being busted. That's cool, my assigned seat was pretty good to begin with. During the encore he invited a well known artist to join him for two songs. Peter Wolfe, from the J-Giles band! Together, they performed Love Stinks and Angel is a Centerfold, it was fabulous!

After the show it was great to mingle with others who enjoyed the concert as much as we did. I really didn't think we'd still be there at 2am, but we were hustling through the casino to catch the last shuttle. When we checked out this morning I faced a 5 hour drive on 4 hours of sleep. Thankfully there was a Target at the halfway point allowing me to stretch while flipping through clearance racks. I'm surprised to be awake at 10pm. I know I wouldn't sleep until I blogged this wonderful adventure. Thank you Dave Dewey for giving me a night off. XOXO.