Music, Awards, Good Friends, and.... Pumpkins

I've had a busy and exciting few weeks!  Mark Cady, my manager, entered my song "Nobody" (written by my very good friend and talented guitarist Kelly Anderson) into an Acoustic Ourstage.com competition.  We won the Acoustic division and made it into the finals in the Specialty catagory.  We competed with AWESOME songs from a number of other genres and WON!  I couldn't believe it!  I have been so very blessed by that song.  So many people have e-mailed me and told me of their life experiences and how they can relate to it.  I can't wait to get into the studio and finish a radio ready recording of it.

Kelly and I wrote a fun new song last week called "Catch and Release".  I am super excited to get that one demo'd, too.  We are still putting the finishing touches on it, but it came together very quickly and I am very proud of it.  :)

Next week, Mike Bailey and I will be putting the finishing touches on the music we will be sending my producer.  He has been such a big help through this process.  As soon as we're done, we will be shipping them off to Nashville to pick the top two and begin recording.   I am so ready to jump in with both feet and record with Clyde!!

On the home front......  Cody had testing last week and his work samples were due for his virtual school.  We were BUSY BUSY BUSY!!  Next week we will be playing catch-up on the school work we missed during testing so it will be much the same. :)

Today, I got to have lunch with a few of my Best Friends from High School.  It is so much fun to get together with old friends and catch up.  It feels like we were in High School last week and now we have children and careers.  I was sharing with my friend, Leanna, my reservations about everything that is going on right now.  She told me that she believed in me and that my voice would carry me far.  It is support like hers that keeps me going. I am so lucky to have friends and family that believe in me and support me.  I KNOW that they are partial, but it is good to have partial people in your life. :)

After lunch, Tommy and I took the kids to a pumpkin patch and corn maze complete with a hay ride and hay tunnels.  The kids had so much fun and were completely worn out!  I didn't think we were ever going to get out of that maze!  If I had had a phone signal I would have posted to Facebook - SOS Lost in a maze 'o' Corn with two rambunxious little boys..... please help.. lol

Now it's off to return e-mails!!  They have been piling up all week!!

Hello Monday! Back to reality.... ;)

What a crazy weekend! On Friday night, Kelly Anderson and I had a blast with our acoustic duo at Cajun Cookers. Then Saturday, amidst the thunderstorms, the band (Forgetting Last Friday) and I had a show at the Dean All Knighter 4-wheeler rally. It is a giant family reunion where the Dean and Knight families get together with a couple hundred of their closest friends and party all weekend! I have NEVER had a family reunion like this one! If only!

We thought we were going to get rained out because the campsite and stage are in a clearing in the woods out in the middle of nowhere. I am talking no cell service for miles! ;) It is absolutely beautiful out there. The campers put up a big wedding tent and a tarp over the stage so we could still come and play. They were such troopers! They literally had to stand ankle deep in mud and it was COLD, but they kept on dancing! Eventually, they just built a second campfire by the stage so they could keep warm. The band greatly appreciated the fire too.. lol

After the show, we took our acoustics to the big campfire and basically did band karaoke. It was so much fun! Mike Dean grabbed his guitar and sang a few himself. Very talented guy! Nothing better than sing-a-longs around a campfire, but when you have that many people, you are sure to have a good time!

Last year, I played the Dean All Knighter and we stayed and camped with everyone after the show. This year, we decided to come home and not to chance drowning in our tents in the gully washers that were coming through all weekend. Next year, rain or shine, it's on! I'll get a canoe!

The kids are home after being at their Grandparents for a week. I am SO not as cool as Mamaw and Papaw. They would both live there if I would let them. I just can't compete with the bunnies, chickens and horses.... Today it was back to reality! Cody had to get back to the grindstone of 5th grade homeschool and Connor had to be a little quieter than he did at Mamaw's house.... Not easy for a 4 year old energetic boy!!

This week we are going to try to get back into the studio and finish up our scratch demos so my producer and I can choose our favs and I can come to Nashville and get the master's done. I am SOOOO ready!!

Have a great week!