Week of Thanksgiving (Part 7)

I am beyond thankful to have the cutest, smartest, most adorable dog on the planet. I can say that with no bias, of course. :) She has the greatest little personality and always knows just exactly what I need. If I’m sick, she loves to cuddle up close and sleep all day, and if I’m being too lazy she barks at me to get moving! Ha! She rides wonderfully in the car (which we’re doing today to head back to Nashville), and I’m definitely thankful for that. I’m also thankful that she knows that she’s mine. When Lindsey and I come home in the evenings, Lindsey will let both Rocket and Paisley out upstairs and Paisley will run down the stairs to greet me while Rocket stays with Lindsey. This is completely an untrained thing…they just know who belongs to who. I’ve even hidden downstairs and Paisley will search and search until she finds me…it’s the cutest thing! I’m so thankful to have a smart, healthy, adorable dog that was just what I always wanted!

Week of Thanksgiving (Part 6)

In a world that’s pretty much go, go, go, I am incredibly thankful for relaxing days to be able to shut everything off! Whether it’s spent in pajamas all day long, hanging out and watching movies and playing games, or shopping with Mom on the biggest shopping day of the year, or catching up with friends from home that I haven’t seen in a while…I love being able to not hurry here or there! And that's exactly how I'm going to spend the rest of the day! :)

Week of Thanksgiving (Part 5)

What better day to celebrate thankfulness of my family than on Thanksgiving when I get to spend the entire day with them. My family is pretty awesome, I must say. My dad and I are alike in so many ways and we love doing crazy things together (like jump out of airplanes…which we will do next spring). My favorite thing to do with him now is ride his new Harley. He acts (and looks) way younger than anyone would guess that he is, and I hope that I continue to have that much appreciation for life as he does. My mom is amazing. While we aren’t nearly as alike as Daddy and I are, we have a great relationship. She truly is one of my best friends and anytime something goes wrong or something wonderful happens, she’s generally one of, if not the first I call. I’m so thankful to have such a great relationship with both of my parents, and even more thankful to have a pair of parents that are together (because so few are) and that love me and support me as much as they do.

I’m also incredibly thankful for my little (big) brother. I always wanted a baby brother or sister when I was little and God gave me just that. It took a while, but now Reed & I get along pretty great (for the most part!) and I love that he can confide in me!

The rest of my family is wonderful, too. I have such a great support system in my aunt, uncle, cousin and grandmother (Kay, George, Lori & Gran), and I love them so much. They’re incredible and I love getting to spend as much time with each of them as possible! I’m incredibly blessed to have a big family full of other aunts, uncles and tons of cousins that love me and that I get to spend time with over the holidays.

Week of Thanksgiving (Part 4)

I’ve said plenty of times before how thankful I am of my church here in Nashville. Cross Point has been exactly what I’ve needed and wanted without even realizing it since I started going a year and a half ago. I haven’t, however, mentioned how thankful I am for my small groups! Robin was our first leader and she introduced both Lindsey and I to so many people we now call friends in our singles community group. Next we were in Ashley’s women’s group. Ashley is an incredible leader and really pushes me to think. I’m not the most outspoken person in small groups (I know that fact may be hard to believe by some), but I’m getting there! Both Ashley and Robin have been 2 people that are very important to me, especially in the past several months. I’m so thankful for their friendships and the impact they’ve made on me.

Here are Brandy (who has been in both Robin's and Ashley's groups with us), Lindsey, Ashley & I on Lindsey's birthday

This fall, I was so privileged to be in a Beth Moore Bible study with Angie. I had read her blog and was moved by her from quite a while back (and I blogged about her when she and her husband, Todd, came to Cross Point to speak), and jumped on the opportunity to do a study with her. I knew then that I was supposed to take something from their story, but I had no idea that Angie would become such an incredible role model and friend, and “other,” :) but she definitely did! I’m also very thankful for another “other” that I got to become closer to in this Bible study – Brandi! She is the best encourager I know and I look up to her greatly. I’m so very thankful to be surrounded by such amazing, Godly women. They’ve each been an inspiration to me and were perfectly placed in my life.

Here are Lindsey, Angie, Robin and I (it was the Colts/Titans game that night...hence the outfit and minus Brandi!). Brandi - this means you and I need to take a pic ASAP! :)

Week of Thanksgiving (Part 3)

It goes without saying that the economy isn’t the greatest right now. I’ve had a few friends lose their jobs because of how things are going, and while everything isn’t always peachy keen with mine, I tend to lose sight of just how lucky I am to have a job in this business, period. I’m so thankful to have put my degree to use for at least 2 years (hopefully more) and to be involved in music in general. Music has always been my passion and I’m certainly blessed to be in Music City. I’m also quite thankful that I’ll be getting off at 1:00 tomorrow and have 2 weeks paid Christmas vacation…not every business is like that!! :) Some more perks to be thankful for: great connections, tickets to great shows, meeting awesome people, exposure to new music first, and my own office. :)

Week of Thanksgiving (Part 2)

I’ve said it before…I have the greatest friends. My friends are loyal, dependable, honest….and gosh, aren’t they fun?! I can always count on Jo to give me the best work (and fashion!) advice, Bree to always provide entertainment (whether it’s taking silly pictures in a photo booth at the movies or celebrating birthdays), Mallory to keep me in stitches laughing all the time, Caley to share old memories with giggle at nothing, Robin to always listen (especially when I cross the hallway to vent for 5 minutes!), Laurie to plan adventures (and schemes!), and Lindsey to always be there for me. I’ve also been blessed to find new friendship with people I’ve worked with, people I see every week at church and small group, and even those I babysit for! Julie has become a rock in the past year of keeping William, that I’m not sure what I’d do without!

Each of my friends is so unique and I love them with all my heart. I’m so thankful for each one of them (and numerous others) for what they’ve brought to my life. I’m also thankful for tonight’s BFF night with Linds! :)

Week of Thanksgiving (Part 1)

I have a tremendous amount to be thankful for. I'm fully aware of that. However, sometimes the little negative things can bog me down and make me lose focus on what all I have in my life. What better time to focus on those things than the week of Thanksgiving?

I love this town. I love that it’s obviously a great deal bigger than my hometown, but it doesn’t completely lose the small town feel. Every time we drive by the skyline, I always say “I love Nashville.” Just ask Lindsey. ;) But I really do! I love all the different things you can do on any given day, like go to a dog park, pumpkin patch, downtown, to see a play, hear the symphony (which I did last week for the first time and it was amazing!). Today I’m going to do one of my favorite things in Nashville…go to the Titans game! And what better time to see them than when they have an incredible record that will continue after today’s game hopefully!

I am incredibly thankful to be in a place that I love. Somewhere I can call “home,” but isn’t too far from my roots. Somewhere I have an abundance of great new friends, the greatest cousin, friends that become family, and even “back home” friends. I always knew that I wanted to live in Nashville, and I’m ever so grateful to have that part of a dream come true.

Wanna Hear Some Happy Baby Talk...

This is the sweetest video ever, I'm just going to warn you. I don't know how to do all the cool video editing like Lindsey does, and I'm too impatient to wait for her to work on it because I wanted to share it now! :)

Some of the words you'll hear, in case you can't quite understand that precious 21-month-old mouth:

• Oh, juice!
• Coke
• Sprite
• Mmm-mmm (no)
• Cheese!
• Whittie :) (the first time it's "Whit tweet," then "Whitwie" the next 2)
• Hold on...
• Down
• No ride-ride
• Please (Peas)
• No
• Tea
• Play please!
  

And They've All Got Tickets To See His Show...

Just because the CMAs were over didn't mean the rest of the week was quiet! Quite the opposite, actually. Thursday I went with Robin and some of her co-workers from Borman to Murfreesboro to see the Lady A/Jas0n Aldean show. It was really great to be able to see Jason and the rest of the band guys, because I hadn't seen them in such a long time. We also got to congratulate Lady A for their big win the night before at the CMAs! Lady A, as always, put on a great show, but because I was with a big group from their management company, we didn't get to stay for Jason's show. I was really bummed out...but there will be other times to see him, obviously. I got to see his opening song side-stage though, so here's the one and only picture from the night.

Friday I had the day off. And thankfully so because I woke up and couldn't utter a word and felt like I had been hit by a train. I'm allergic to most allergy/cold/sinus medicines, so when they come around they are no fun at all. I did get up and get some things done around the house though, and then met up with Lindsey, Justin, Tanner, Brendan and his wife Stacy for a road trip to Birmingham. Lindsey is a huge Kelly Clarks0n fan, and Justin is a big Reba fan, so we went to their show and got to meet them. I obviously am a fan of live music, but I wasn't expecting to be as entertained as I was. It was truly a great show. We had great seats and really had a good time, despite feeling yuck. Very musical, and very, very busy week. But it was tons of fun!!

Tanner, Justin, Stacy, Reba, Kelly, Lindsey, me & Brendan

Havin' A Party...

CMA Week is just about the equivalent of Fan Fair week for me, but with lower temperatures! I have radio remotes, just like in the summer, with my artists early in the mornings and a lot of stuff going on until late into the nights!

Monday was the very first remote, so my day started at 4:30am. That's soooooo early for this "hit snooze 4 times and roll out of bed at 8ish" girl, but they're a lot of fun. It's a great chance to meet new people in the industry and catch up with others you haven't seen in a while. It was also Add Day for Car0lina Rain's new single, "Weight of the World" (which is a big day in the promotions world), so I was going nonstop all day long! I went back for the afternoon remotes and cut out a little early to rest my eyes for a little bit, then Lindsey and I went to a birthday dinner for her dad. Then even later, we went to Hendersonville at midnight for Taylor's album release at Walmart! She just mentioned in her blog that afternoon that she'd be there, and fans started coming! Some people said they had driven 8 hours just to see her buy her album, and there were some that had changed flight arrangements (let me remind you...that day) from California to see it. I was amazed. Late, late night, but so worth being able to see such die-hard fans.

Here is Lindsey with some of the people in her department... all their hard work leads up to this moment! (Hello, Stephen...) ;)

Tuesday and Wednesday were more radio remotes...but I was sick, so that made the early mornings even more enjoyable...riiiight. Wednesday night I got to go with Linds (and her mom, too!) to the Big Machine viewing party and their after party. It was a lot of fun...and you know how I love any excuse to buy a new outfit and get dressed up! Again, the pictures aren't great at all, so Linds & I took a picture when we got home (in the wee hours of the morning again!). Thanks, self-timer!

Look who we got to finally hang out with!! Super excited that Bree got to go to the awards last minute, but even more excited that Linds could add her to the after party list and people-watch with us! :)

We're Comin' To Your City...

Living in Nashville, you see "famous" people. Working in the music business, you do even more often and it's no big deal. That's what I love about this town! I'm not the type to be starstruck (unless, of course David Beckham were involved...then I would just drool) at all, but I do have to say I've had 2 pretty cool run-ins in the past week or so.

Last weekend I was out for Laurie's friend's bachelorette party. When we were leaving Big Bang, I heard a commotion and a bunch of people flocking to the door across the hall (which I think is J0hn Rich's club?) and saying someone was there. Again, no biggie. We walk outside and sure enough, J0hn Rich and Kevin Costner are at the balcony! Hi? I was obsessed with Robin Hood: Prince Of Theives when I was in 2nd grade. So, as every other tourist on Broadway, I snapped a picture. :)

Then at the Big Machine CMA After Party with Lindsey...in walks Reese Witherspoon! She was beautiful, and I really wanted to meet her, but it didn't look like she wanted to be bothered, even at a private, no-fans-around, party... but that didn't stop Linds and I from taking a picture in front of her. :) ***please excuse the poor picture quality...the room was just bright enough for the flash not to work, and just dark enough for us to be blurry***

Need a closer look? Ha!

Girls, Girls Girls...

It just dawned on me that I babysit for a lot of boys. Of course you've got my main man that I have to see about once a week. And then I get to stay their kids that are 3 of the most fun boys in the world every once in a while too! Every now and then I'll keep some of Julie's friends' kids...that are boys. I finally got a little (scratch that...a lot) of estrogen in when I got to keep 3 of the most hysterical, beautiful little girls ever 2 weeks ago.

I got to hang out with Abby, Ellie and Kate by myself for a while, and we made ourselves busy coloring and playing Barbie dolls. Oh how I had missed playing with Barbies! They were my favorite when I was little. Later on, Lindsey got there and we started on the experiment of the night. I wanted to do something that wasn't too terribly messy, and that they could show Angie & Todd the next morning (Lord willing it turned out right), and that could be done inside as it was supposed to rain. We tried the exploding milk experiment and it was really cool, I have to say! Instead of milk, however, we used watered-down Elmer's glue so it would harden onto the plates overnight.

Here they are working away!

This picture shows all the colors "exploding" in Kate's glue

Kate's finished works of art. So proud :)

Abby was very excited that she got 3 different color dots. :)

Ellie was rockin' the blues & greens...so pretty!

I had so much fun with these girls, playing "sisters" and Disney Princesses and watching them dance and laughing at the hilarious things they would say (Abby "couldn't believe her eyes" when she thought Linds and I were twins)! And even more fun hanging out 'till way past my bedtime with their mom! :)

Wonderful Weekend

This weekend was filled, plan and simple. Thursday night I kept my sweet William, who is saying "Whittie" with ease now! Actually, he likes to keep me guessing, because he'll call me "Whittie" one second perfectly enunciated, and then "Whitwie" and the "Ittie" another time. He's so precious. Here he is saying "cheese" for the camera during dinner Thursday night. He also says his prayers before he eats! He mostly babbles his way through, but he squints his eyes and holds his hands together. Adorable.

On Saturday, my family was in Nashville for the state band competition. Reed plays the 3rd bass drum for the high school and this year's show was called "School Days." I had only seen their very first performance at the first football game of the season, so it wasn't completely finished and it wasn't in their uniforms, so it wasn't quite the same then. I kept William that afternoon, so Lindsey and I loaded him up to take him to the band competition. They did a great job in the semi-finals, and after it was over, Reed showed William his hat (pictures to come of that...Kay has it on her camera!) and drum, and even let him hit it with the "bat" (the mallet). William had a great time watching 2 or 3 different bands' performances, but he loved getting Sam to carry him around even more! He even cried when I told him we had to leave!

This was on the way and wearing his cowboy hat from his costume the night before!

Cheese!

Linds and I went back home to see about all the dogs - Dash was back to play with us! He's the one on the far left that looks like he's flying!

After we found out Reed and the rest of the band made the top 10 for the finals, we headed back to Thompson's Station to watch them perform again. They were amazing! We didn't get to see all 10 bands perform, but we saw about 6 or 7 of them, and MCHS's show was definitely the most entertaining, and I can say that without a biased bone in me. ;) They ended up getting 6th overall, and I thought they deserved higher than that, but they had improved from last year so that's good. And Reed has 3 more years of it, so that gives him plenty of time to get 1st! :) In between all the bands (and some not-so-interesting performances) and freezing, we got a little delirious and bored...

She probably gets this "bless your heart" look a lot...

I think I may have been biting Mom?

I think Linds said to be "thugs"...I just don't have it in me.

After an extra hour of sleep, we were off to keep the sweet babies in the nursery and had a full room! Mom & Dad made it in time to go to Kids Stuff and they loved it, and then we went to hear an amazing message about purpose from Pete. We had an entire row because Kay & George were here too! I felt like Selmer was in Nashville! After some interrupted shopping that afternoon, Mom & Dad headed home in my car and thankfully made it there without a problem, considering the front end of my car was gone...oh my, my... Little Layla seems to have it out for me. First the transmission, then battery, then brakes (that's a new development), and then she decided to jump out in front of someone in the Cool Springs mall parking lot... But even that couldn't put a damper on the weekend. It was great to get to hang out with my family for a long time and finally hear the words I've wanted to hear for a year..."Whittie!" :)

This Is Halloween...

On Friday I got to bring my precious Paisley with me to work. Supposedly there weren't going to be very many people in the office, but that wasn't exactly true, but Paisley enjoyed sitting on my desk looking at my lava lamp (yes, lava lamp. I've had it since about 5th grade. Be jealous.) or in the window watching cars drive by. At lunch, she changed into her Snow White Halloween costume. :) She loves dressing up. Well, maybe not loves, but she doesn't mind it either.

For lunch, we ran to our favorite Friday spot - Gigi's - for a delicious Halloween cupcake.

Linds wasn't feeling too spunky that night and I was indecisive on whether I wanted to do anything, so we opted for a BFF night watching Hocus Pocus. Not quite as eventful as last years' Halloween (and since it was pointed out to me that I didn't say anything, the picture of Linds and me from her birthday post was of us at Halloween last year!), but in all honesty, I had more fun dressing up than doing anything else, so I was completely content to have a night in!