this is nashville (and i'm still not used to it).

HAHA.

there are two things you need to know before i tell you this story.

one) i was listening to needtobreathe on my way to work on wednesday morning, because i was getting sick of my usual playlist and because ntb is always a solid choice.

two) while at work on wednesday, i saw that seth (from ntb) posted a photo on instagram about how he was in nashville, and my friend leah and i exchanged a few texts about how exciting this is, even though we knew me running to him would be highly unlikely.

that was the kind of day i was having.

so now let me just tell you about how on wednesday night, our pastry chef at the restaurant came in to eat with her husband and the band he has been working with. i saw this information in the reservation notes, and i'll be honest, i wondered if i knew the band, but i didn't think much about it (because bands and musicians are basically on every street corner) until i saw bear (from ntb) walking up the stairs behind her and her husband.

i instantly recognized him, but it took me a minute to realize needtobreathe is the band. in that moment, i honestly just thought it was neat that our pastry chef's husband was working with them and that they were eating at our restaurant. because drew, who i work with, opened for them on their last tour, and even though i've never actually met them outside of a fan setting, i feel like i know them.

but that moment quickly passed when i saw seth walking next to bear. let me tell you, if anyone has the ability to make me lose my cool in an instant, it's seth bolt. (don't believe me?) i can only imagine what my face looked like as i watched the rest of them walk up the stairs, but i can tell you it was obvious that they knew that i knew who they were and that i was freaking out about it on the inside.

after they were seated, i walked back to the ramp, where there's a server station behind a wall, and completely freaked out on the outside. there were a few people around and no one really knew who they were, but i couldn't really explain what was going on because the words that were coming out of my mouth weren't making any sense. there was a lot of OH MY GOSH and NEEDTOBREATHE and the other hostess thought i literally couldn't breathe.

there was finally a break in the confusion when one of the server's assistants walked over and heard me and said, "they're here? oh yeah, they played vandy's rites of spring." YES. i'm pretty sure we became best friends right then, because she knew what i was talking about and wasn't concerned that i was having a panic attack and i heard she was also freaking out about it in the kitchen later.

it was after that that i regained my composure and the ability to form coherent sentences and carried on with my shift with whatever dignity i had left. and honestly, i cannot even believe i had that reaction, especially to that band. the fray? i would probably fall over and die. but ntb? i've seen them, met them, had full conversations with them. but i guess all those times i was always prepared to see them. this time, i had no idea. so i'm pretty sure it was the combination of being caught off guard, being shocked at my own reaction, and, well, seth bolt.

but still. embarrassing, you know?