Chords of Hope--Band Against MS!

It seems like we've been in charity benefit mode lately! Last night was another fantastic event for an even better cause. We spent our evening here...

http://wildhorsesaloon.com/calendar/view/11567/2

As a venue, Wildhorse Saloon can't be beat. Although it tends to become a tourist trap on the weekends (don't all of the honky tonks on Broadway?!), the food is delicious (we dined on fried pickles, my favorite, and I had a philly steak sandwich on a pita, while Dave went with a tequila chicken sandwich), the cocktail menu is fabulous (I went with a hurricane and a Blue Moon; Dave chose a Lynchburg Lemonade and a Yazoo), and it's big and comfortable and there's plenty of seating. Last night's event was the 2nd annual Chords of Hope benefit concert put on by Band Against MS, a charity founded by country star Clay Walker, who was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in 1996, to raise money for MS research at Vanderbilt. This cause is super close to my heart, as my mom has suffered from MS since I was little, and I was diagnosed almost exactly two years ago myself (my diagnosaversary, if you can call it that, is coming up on March 11--I plan on posting my thoughts on that later). I love that Clay Walker is using his celebrity status to affect positive change for himself and all of us who battle with MS every day of our lives. The entertainment was top notch. In addition to Clay, there was Rivers Rutherford, an amazing songwriter who performed "These Are My People" and Tim McGraw's "Real Good Man," Chuck Wicks (who sang his song, "Stealing Cinderella," that always makes me teary thanks to being a newlywed and a daughter who lost her daddy), Rio Grande, Steve Holy (who did "Good Morning Beautiful" and "Brand New Girlfriend," among others), and a few others. It was an amazing concert for an even more amazing cause, and I'm grateful to all the stars who gave of their time and talent to benefit MS research. In the words of Rivers Rutherford, "I'm not making a cent for being here tonight, I just think somebody ought to cure this damn disease!" Amen! Dave and I had a great time, and it was the perfect midweek date night in honor of a great cause.