Oh Nashville...

There are certain times in this city where I have to sit back & soak up the moment thinking "is this really MY life?!". Last night was definitely one of those moments.

My friend Micah was in town visiting on his way out to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. So we started the night at the famous Bluebird Cafe. A must see for anyone visiting Nashville & it just so happened that Shawn Byrne was playing in the round while Micah was in town. Along with Shawn was Jamie Johnson (of the Grascals), Jamie's wife Suzanne (whose album Shawn just finished producing & it's phenominal), Brice Long ("Nothing On But The Radio" by Gary Allan & "Anything Goes" by Randy Houser), & Craig Monday ("Got A Little Crazy Last Night" by Kenny Chesney). I was blown away. Definitely one of the best rounds I've ever seen. The talent level was insane. Getting to hear the purity of a song the way a writer intended for it to be sung is always one of my favorite parts of living in Nashville. Definitely take the time to check out Shawn, The Grascals & Suzanne on iTunes & buy some of their music. You won't regret it :)

After the Bluebird show, we all headed to what is now my favorite place in Nashville-- The Station Inn. This place is the best! I felt like I was back in MY South again. Very down home feeling with checkered table clothes & great bluegrass music. Not to mention a great southern bartender that's a woman after my own my heart :). I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to this town it honestly, but I adore living here.

Micah got some great pictures from the past few days in Nashville, & I've always thought that pictures tell stories far better than words.. so here are a few of his shots--

The band at the Station Inn. The guy in the cowboy hat

used to tour with Brooks & Dunn.

Lower Broadway

Bluebird :)

A great shot by Micah on Lower Broadway :)

Micah & I SO excited to be at the Full Moon Saloon.

Songwriter's in the round at the Bluebird Cafe.

The Station Inn in The Gulch district.

A great shot of Shawn Byrne, Jamie Johnson.

& Suzanne Johnson at the Bluebird.

The Station Inn :)

Fun little music blog...

I just wanted to share this music blog that Shawn sent to me.... & well honestly brag a little ;) I've been doing a lot of work with him & his career in my free time. It's really fun for me & great experience. & it's great to see his music getting some attention like it deserves.

Check it out:

Byrne, Baby, Byrne- Ourstage.com

The Bucket List

A few years ago, I created a "before 30" bucket list. It's in my private blog. But I'm thinking it's time to get a little more serious about it & move it over here. Some things are simple & a little trivial. Others are big dreams that simply may not happen within the next 7 years. But it's going to be fun to try. It's neat to look at what I've done so far & I'll post pictures when I can.

• See Dolly Parton live.. preferably from the front row.

So it wasn't front row... but it was still DOLLY & it was still super close. Best

23rd birthday present in the world :) 10/5/2010

Climb a real mountain for a bird's eye view of God's beauty... but only a small one.

Visit LA & New York.

Take the London/Paris/Rome trip I've been planning since I was 17 (the next few go with this)...

Drink champagne under the Eiffel Tower at night.

Visit the Louvre.

Ride the London Eye (the really big ferris wheel).

See Michaelangelo's work in the Sistine Chapel with my own eyes.

Take a picture on the Sydney Harbor bridge in Australia.

Go to the NASCAR race in Daytona, Charlotte, & Bristol. One of which MUST be a night race.

Kiss in the rain (come on, every girl wants to once in her life).

oh Wisconsin. What a fun & memorable night of great music,

even better friends & amazing memories. 6/26/10

• Go to Fan Fair/CMAfest.

No one better than my best friend Laura to cross this one off with. Nosebleed

seats for Jamey Johnson (below), Martina, Lee Ann Womack & THE JUDDS!

June 2009

• Learn to cook at least one dish really well.


• Go skinny dipping (let's face it, your body just won't be like this after kids).


• Attend a concert at the Ryman.

I can thank my friend Shawn for helping me discover a great love for the Pixies.

We went to see them at the Ryman in September 2010.

• See a musical on Broadway.


• Experience a ride along in a NASCAR car.


• Completely finish Mere Christianity & The Four Loves.


• Run a marathon... or maybe just a half marathon.


• Continue learning & practicing my Spanish until it's conversational at the very lest.


• Go to Austin for at least part of South by Southwest.


• Go white water rafting.


• Take a canopy tour in Mexico (where you ride zip lines through the trees).


• Ride a mechanical bull (just once).


• Pay all my own bills with NO help from anyone.


• Send a stranger a message in a bottle.


• Finally make it to Chicago & go ice skating.


• Sponsor a child through Compassion International.


• Be an extra in a major motion picture.


• Volunteer with the Nashville Rescue Mission.


• Go to a drive-in movie.


• Celebrate a birthday in Vegas.


• Swim with Stingrays in the Cayman Islands.


• Make a nursing home friend & visit her regularly.


• Be 100% out of debt by the time I turn 30.


• Buy the '66 mustang & fix it up myself.


• Ride a motorcycle.


• Go to a game at Fenway Park

Day 3 of 30 Days of Me

So I took another month off.. oops. But now I'm back to it :)

Day 3: A Picture of you and your friends--

Get ready for picture overload once again.

Jess, Keisha & I at an Andy Davis show at 12th & Porter in Nashville.

Tif & I on the gorgeous pedestrian bridge in Nashville.

My pledge class on our last bid day ever.

Allison & I at Lake Martin on 4th of July.

LA & I in Wisconsin for Country Fest.

Ana, Allison, Callie & I at Mexico Tipico on a trip back home :)

"Mama was right when she said I was something..."

Today I feel like I'm drowning. It's just one of those days. I never thought I would say I miss school, but I do. That can be read so completely wrong, so let me explain what I mean. I don't miss Troy or my marketing classes or really anything else about the standard & typical education system. I miss the music industry program & the ways that it constantly challenged & stretched me. I learned & grew so much in the 2 years in the program. I was constantly forced to learn new things about myself and what I am capable of. I'm desperate for that lately.

Because of those two years, I know that I can do SO much more than my day to day lately... and some days it honestly makes me sick. I miss the rush of doing something new.

I need to be challenged again...

"Mama was right when she said I was something, never could quite keep my feet on the ground. So much to say, never holding back nothing, my heart on my sleeve with my head in the clouds..." - Sarah Buxton "Love Like Heaven"

Day 2 of 30 Days of Me

Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name:

My blog name is a song lyric (surprise, surprise). "If these are life's lessons, she'll take this test." It's from "Wide Open Spaces" by the Dixie Chicks. Ever since I was 14 or 15 this lyric has really hit me. It's been a constant theme of my life & I believe will continue to be, at least for the next few years. I always have to learn through doing, and sometimes that means learning the hard way, but it's all life's lessons.

The songs in my head...

Today, this is on repeat in my head (& actually it's being played in the office too, so that might by why). I have never really paid attention to the lyrics until these past few months. It was just one of those classic songs that I knew & sang along with but had never really heard. Check them out, turns out it's an amazing song...

"She Believes In Me" by Kenny Rogers

While she lays sleeping, I stay out late at night & play my songs

And sometimes all the night can be so long

And it's good when I finally make it home, all alone

While she lays dreaming, I try to get undressed without the light

And quietly she says 'how was your night?'

And I come to her and say, 'it was alright', and I hold her tight

And she believes in me, I'll never know just what she sees in me

I told her someday if she was my girl, I could change the world

With my little songs, I was wrong

But she has faith in me, so I go on trying faithfully

And who knows maybe on some special night, if my song is right

I will find a way

While she lays waiting, I stumble to the kitchen for a bite

Then I see my old guitar in the night

Just waiting for me like a secret friend, and there's no end

While she lays crying, I fumble through a melody or two

And I'm torn between the things that I should do

And she says to wake her up when I'm through

God her love is true...

And she believes in me, I'll never know just what she sees in me

I told her someday if she was my girl, I could change the world

With my little songs, I was wrong

But she has faith in me, so I go on trying faithfully

And who knows maybe on some special night, if my song is right

I will find a way, while she waits... while she waits for me.

Day 1 of 30 Days of Me

I saw this challenge on a friend's blog & decided that it looked like something fun to do... and a great way to get me in the habit of updating this thing more often. So here goes day 1 :)

Day 1: A recent picture of you & 15 interesting facts about yourself.

LA & I in Cadott, Wisconsin for CountryFest in June.

Keisha, Kyle, Libby & I with The Civil Wars after

their show in Nashville earlier this month.

Shawn & I in Wisconsin in June. I'm in love with

the creativity of this shot... which was taken by LA.

Allison & I after Brooks & Dunn's Last Rodeo

concert in Nashville earlier this month. Miss her!

Keisha & I at a video shoot for Andy Davis in August.

I really don't know how I would survive in Nashville

without this girl.

We all know how much I love pictures, so it should have been obvious that I wouldn't be able to post just one.

1. I miss the South. A lot. Now I realize that to most people Tennessee is still southern, but it just isn't. The longer that I'm away the more I'm discovering just how much of a southern girl at heart I really am.
2. When it comes to certain sports, I'm more like a boy. I never miss an Alabama football game & I hate missing NASCAR races. And you better not try to talk when either of them are on tv! Don't try to challenge my knowledge on them either, you aren't going to win.
3. On the complete opposite hand, fashion is a huge love of mine. If I ever won the lottery, I'd rather spend it all on a closet full of couture designs than a huge house.
4. I secretly love pushing the limits, but only in little ways. I just get too bored with rules.
5. I'm a huge traveler. It can even just be driving to Birmingham for the weekend, but I CANNOT stay in one place for very long. I get extremely restless & have to runaway for at least a night.
6. Going with the one above, my dream job at this point in my life would be to work on a tour as the social media/new media girl. Living like a gypsy for a few years would be food for my soul.
7. I could live on a diet of queso dip & carrots. Not combined, but just those two things. Plus sweet tea. If you were to open my fridge right now, that's all you would find.
8. There's something about a swing set at a park that makes all of life's troubles disappear for me. Take me to the park & you'll be my favorite person forever.
9. My cousin is my sister. Really. You'll always hear me refer to her as "my sister Hayden" & I can't survive without seeing her at least every few months.
10. According to my friends in Nashville, I cannot correctly pronounce 'fire', 'boiled', or 'my'.
11. Since before I even understood where babies come from, I've wanted to adopt children from a foreign country. Throughout life God has continued to place this in my life through various friendships & experiences. It's something I'm truly passionate about making happen in the future.
12. Music really is the soundtrack to my life. I'm constantly amazed & captivated by it, no matter how often I'm around it. Songs speak the emotions that I never can.
13. My sorority family (plus the add-in of Ana) was the biggest blessing to my four years in college. A definite example of how God puts the people that we need into our lives.
14. Carrie Bradshaw speaks to my life. I own every episode ever created of Sex & The City, and I always seem to find the perfect one with the perfect quote for what's going on in my own life at that very moment.
15. I have a before 30 bucket list. Seriously. & I'm on a mission everyday to ensure that I accomplish it all.

This time... I'm REALLY going to be better.

I'm officially the worst blogger EVER. But no more. Writing is my little escape. It's something that truly brightens my day & starting right now, it WILL become a daily part of my life again.

Today, I'm in love... and maybe a little hung-up... on this Mel Tillis song from last night (yes, I got to see Mel Tillis last night. Along with so many other musicians that I consider heroes, so my heart is bursting.)

But here it is so that you can love it & have it stuck in your head too :)

life is such an interesting journey...

I once again decided to try (that being the operative word) to start a public blog to keep people, especially family, updated on my life. It seems like when I live outside of Alabama my life gets hectic & it's incredibly hard to keep everyone updated on what's going on with me... so here we go again :) I promise I'm going to try really hard this time.

I guess to start, I should say that I moved to Nashville a month ago... permanently this time. I have an adorable, tiny little one bedroom apartment that I'm in love with (don't worry, I'll post pictures at the end!). I've been fortunate enough to be interning at Dreamcatcher Artist Management. It's honestly been a better fit than I could have dreamed! I'm getting tons of hands on experience in Kenny Rogers' career and getting to learn from Jim Mazza... who I have to be honest & say I'm incredibly intimidated by. It's definitely the experience of a lifetime so far and I'm trying my hardest to soak up everything.

Pictures are easier than words for me sometimes, so I'll end this first scattered blog with some pictures of my new home & life over the past month (Of course they include CMAfest & BamaJam) ...& hopefully I'll update again soon!

The living room in my new place.

My bedroom. Definitely still a big work in progress.

My bathroom. Teal tile, welcome back to the 70s.

Madre & I at Robert's Western World when she visited for

Memorial Day.

Shawn & I after he played in the rain at BamaJam.

Sally, Emily & I at BamaJam.

CMAFest Riverstages in Nashville.

Erin & I at the riverfront during CMAFest.