AHH CHRISTMAS TIME

Well it seems like to me that I only blog at the change of seasons! I guess that means I need to do it more often!! Oh how I love Christmas time! Such a beautiful time full of joy and peace and lights! We have our house all decorated for Christmas here in TN. My roommate Alison is quite the decorator (she gets that from her mama, who has the best Christmas decorations I have ever seen).

I got to travel home for Thanksgiving, it was such a great time to be with all my friends and family. I went to a Husker game with my best girlfriends and they helped me celebrate my 20th birthday very well! I am so lucky to have them in my life! Then back home to sing for my aunts wedding. It was such a wonderful day for our family and her new family and I am so thankful she found someone to share life her life with. I spent the rest of my time home hanging out with my parents and puppies and all my closest friends! It wasn't as easy to leave this time, I wish I could just pack everyone up in my suitcase and bring them all here with me, but something tells me life doesn't work that way. Life is so full of bittersweet moments alot for me, but that's OK I am learning to enjoy those ones too.

America's Got Talent!

I know lots of you wanted to know details about how the America's Got Talent audtitions went so I am sitting at the airport waiting to fly back to Nashville and I will fill you in on details!

So here is how it went... We got to the audtition place and because they contacted me and wanted me to try out I had an appointment audtion for 12:45 on Saturday. So we got there and a security guard took me to the front of the line and into a back room where they let me get ready then sent me to an audtition room to sing. They filmed the audition and took my bio and said they would do call backs for people who made it in 2 months so keep your fingers crossed :)! Needless to say I felt pretty cool being rushed in :)!! That was an experience in itself!

My mom and I spent the rest of the time shopping for my birthday and eating at the same Pizza place both nights! Best PIZZA I have ever had!!

Now its back to Nashville for a couple days to write and record a few new songs then NEBRASKA on Friday to spend time with my best friends and then home to sing for my Aunt's WEDDING!!

Thanks for all your Good Luck texts and notes and wall posts!! I am so blessed to have so many wonderful fans!!!

October!

I love fall and it seems to be the only thing I can think about every time I look out the window today so I figured I better say that! We got our house all decorated yesterday so I had to show you all!

Wow what an amazing couple weeks I have had! I have seen 3 FREE concerts in the past two weeks! Only in Nashville can you see Luke Bryant and Darius Rucker, Jake Owen, and Uncle Kracker playing on a stage in the middle of the street on a Wednesday night!

My roommate Alison (she isn't just a roommate now she is more like a big sister/bestfriend) she surprised me with tickets to a concert called All for The Hall! We got to see Keith Urban, Vince Gill, Miranda Lambert, Billy Currington, John Mayer, Charley Pride, Alan Jackson and DOLLY Parton all in one night! They played one of their hit songs and one other song that meant something to them. It was really cool to see what they picked to sing! It was one of the best concerts we had ever been too.

Fall

Ahh I love Fall, It is my favorite season! The fall weather in Nashville has been so beautiful this week.

I recorded some new songs this week! I love being in the recording studio. Recording is such a fun process. It is so cool to hear a song only in your head then have these musicians totally transform it into a whole song. I can't wait for people to hear them.

I am excited to be heading back to Nebraska this week. I am Mistress of Ceremonies at the Indian Summer Rendezvous! I am so excited to go back and perform. The Rendezvous is one of the first places I sang at. They are so supportive of my dream and I am so honored to be invited back.

Also on my trip home I will be watching my little brother and cousin Gatlin and Dexter play in their senior homecoming football game! I can't believe they are seniors!

Time at home with my family and friends is so fun! Can't wait to perform for my HOME TOWN Again!

Back in Nashville!

Oh my goodness... Summer is gone! :( It went way too fast- I bet you feel the same.

I am finally back in Nashville after traveling every week this summer. It’s been a great one; I’ve made so many new friends and got to spend time with a lot of old ones!

First I traveled to Dallas to sing at the Sapphire Mary Kay Cosmetics Seminar. I had so much fun seeing all of my mom's gang! My Mary Kay Family is the best and I love them all so much!

Then back to Nashville for 3 days to sing back-up for my girlfriend Kaitlyn Anderson at the Tin Roof, one of my FAVORITE places in Nashville! It was such a great time! I was in heaven.

From Nashville I headed home to Nebraska with my AMAZING co-writers Karin Paparelli and Bill Diluigi. We spent time with my family and had a little concert in my backyard playing all the songs we’ve written. They played their songs too and everyone loved them. We wrote a new song…it’s about corn. Karin and Bill had never seen so much corn in their lives so we thought the only right thing to do was to write about it!

BACK to Dallas.... I sang at the Ruby Mary Kay Seminar and met loads of new fans and friends.

Then to Wyoming to help my grandparents at the Aladdin General Store during the Sturgis Rally! We saw so many bikers and lots of leather. My whole family came to help; I love more than anything spending time with my family and friends. We celebrated my grandparents anniversary. I don't know two people who love each other more. I hope to have that someday.

From there it was back to Nebraska for several days. I spent a night with my best girl friends Maggie and Sara! Love those girls! Spent time on the houseboat with friends and family and got a good tan!

Now I am back in Nashville. I registered as a Tennessee resident today! Wow!!!!!! I guess that means I’ll be staying a while. I still have a BIG Dream and I am loving watching it come true even if it’s gonna take a some time!

I hope your summer has been a good one filled with lots of time with family and friends.

The AMERICAN IDOL Experience

Wow!! American Idol was such a fun experience. It was nothing at all like I expected. My mom of course flew in at 11 on Wednesday night after being in Vegas for my little brothers baseball camp! She teaches us to dream big obviously :). She didn't want to miss a thing, I love her so much! We went to Bridgestone Arena at 10 the next morning and got our wristband and tickets. Then at 7 a.m. on Saturday we were back downtown for the audition. You wouldn't have believed all the people! 16,000 people were at the auditions!!! They start out by taping promotional shots and giving you all the directions you need. Then the auditions begin and everyone was practicing in their seats, in the bathrooms and in the hallways. It was so cool. They announce right before auditions start that the first round of auditions has nothing to do with talent, it has everything to do with casting for a TV show... so that explains "pants on the ground man". It was such a fun experience but when you are auditioning against 16,000 not everyone is going to get picked. So I wasn't that discouraged when I didn't get my yellow ticket. I watched them hand out maybe 20 yellow tickets, so they are given few and far between! So I won't be going to Hollywood this year, but possibly in the future :)

New Month

Well I am finally back in Nashville and will actually be here for a while! I never thought it would feel good to put my suitcases away and know they don't have to be back out next week! I am really starting to embrace this beautiful place and all the amazing people in it! I always knew it was the right place for me! I knew the first day I stepped off the airplane at 15 and drove past the Grand Ole Opry and balled my eyes out! It is still unbelievable that I am actually here now! I LOVE IT!

YAH!!! 2010

Wow, I cannot believe all the Holidays are over, they went by so fast and I hate that there over! I absolutely love Christmas. We had a great Christmas as a family in Wyoming, it snowed like crazy so we stayed an extra day. I have never seen so much snow in my life, it was so beautiful! I love snow and winter! We got to spend a whole day playing cards and telling stories. There is something about my Grandparents house, you just feel love and warmth its by far one of my favorite places in the world. I was back home for New Years and I got to spend midnight with my very best friend ever which I loved! This last week I am home I will just be enjoying time with my family and friends and my amazing little dogs Soda Pop and Rowdy! I miss them so much when I am away in Nashville, I can't wait to be back and keep working! I am so excited to write some really great songs next week! How was everybody's holiday??