Two Firsts

Dear friends,

Do you remember the feeling when you first learned to ride your bike? The thrill of being able to balance for even just a few feet when your daddy first let go? Or do you remember pulling out your first tooth? Even though it hurt, it was such a rewarding experience!

Firsts are always great. Within the past two days, I've had two firsts!! I'm very proud of myself, and I'm using this blog to brag! Haha... yup, true.

First #1:

Yesterday, Anna and I had our big concert at the Heyde Center in Chippewa Falls, WI. It was such a great night! There were so many people there. Friends, family, fans... everyone came! We sold lots of our new CD - Ready to Go. (It's availabe to listen to on Anna's myspace: http://www.myspace.com/annajohnsonmusic. It's available to purchase on iTunes!)

The concert was a wonderful experience.

For the past few weeks, Anna and I have really been thinking about where we're supposed to go, now that our CD is done, and some of our big concerts are over. We've been figuring out who to work with as a manager, and other things like that. As a result, we've been really praying that God would show us where we belong in life. What exactly is our purpose? This question has been so important to me that I wrote a song! Yes, I wrote a song. And guess what? I sang it at the concert! It was the first time I had ever performed that song in public. Nobody had heard it but Anna. It was the first time I had ever played guitar in public. It was the first time I sang into a microphone while playing guitar STANDING UP! That was pretty difficult for me. Haha... Lots of firsts, and it was a success! People really enjoyed it, and I have the pride of another first!

First #2:

Today is the last night that my Uncle Dale will be in town. He's heading back to Texas early tomorrow morning. We wanted to have him for dinner, but my mom wasn't sure what to make. I had an idea! I took it upon myself to put the cooking lesson I had a couple weeks earlier to use. A friend of mine taught me how to make chicken cordon bleu, and it was pretty delicious. So I recreated it (without a recipe...I forgot it in Nashville...) all by myself! I made the meal for eight people! My grandparents, uncle, and the rest of my family! So many people. It took me a really long time, but it was a success as well! They loved it! And I ate too much. That was the first time I ever cooked a meal for anyone other than Anna and I. It was hard work, but very rewarding!

Now I am full, and proud. Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me to cook, sing, and have the confidence to share it with people!

Cool.

Joelle Maddyson

Today Anna and I drove to Murfreesboro to spend some time with our musician friend, Joelle Maddyson. We spent the day at her apartment chatting, drinking coffee, and sharing music.

She is a classically trained opera singer, but writes and sings the most beautiful songs in a completely different style. As a classically trained violinist, I understand how she feels. She has used her technical training as the groundwork to create music that really comes from her heart. That's exactly what I do with my violin when I perform with my sister, Anna Johnson! Joelle sings very passionately, and accompanies herself on the piano. Her lyrics reflect deep emotions that she has felt - real experiences that make her performances very sincere, heartfelt, and personal.

Anna and I are looking forward to sharing a show with her at JoZoara's in Murfreesboro. It's a nice coffee shop where we will take turns playing originals, and helping each other out. She's going to play piano with us, and we'll bring some harmonies and violin to her music. It's going to be a wonderful experience! (I'm not quite sure when the show will be yet, but I'll let you know!)

Random story: Toward the end of his life, Joelle's grandfather made beautiful fiddles for a hobby. Although none of her family plays the fiddle, they've kept all of them as a reminder of their loved one. (I'm glad they kept them! They have wonderful sound!) These fiddles have sortof become a family heirloom.

For the past few months, Joelle has been working on her album. She just finished six songs (I think...). They're quite fantastic! She worked with the same producer with which we recorded our album: Billy Smiley. Although she's done for now, Joelle would like to record a few more of her songs. She wanted to do a more acoustic set, and asked me to play one of these old, precious fiddles on the album! I am honored to be able to play! The fiddle needs a few repairs... It hasn't been played for about thirty years. But considering the situation, it has a wonderful sound! Such open, resonant sound. It'll be great to play on her album. Her family will be thrilled to know that one of their great-grandfather's fiddles is finally being played. I am honored to be the one to play it! Thanks Joelle!

If you'd like to hear some of Joelle's music, check out her myspace! Or any other site that she has. She's great at self-promotion! :)

(That was a great friend plug, wasn't it? Haha!)

Starting Over...again

Today I remembered that I have a blog. Yes, I had forgotten. Haha!

When I finally figured out my password and logged on, I changed the layout by accident. Ugh. Then, I couldn't find it again! It looked awful because whatever I selected, by accident of course, was ugly. Haha! So... I took forever to find this new background. It's not the greatest, but at least it's something!

This time, I hope I will stick with it and write steadily! Anna and I would love it if people actually read our blogs! As musicians, we want to be really real to our fans, and have a personal relationship with them. We want to stay connected to real life, and real people, even if our music brings us success. God has blessed us with a gift, and we want to share it with as many people as possible, on a personal level! We want our music to touch people, like it has touched us.

So, maybe this blog will be a way for you to get to know me... whoever you are! Haha... if anyone even reads this. Hopefully, someday, someone, somewhere will read this!

NEWS: Anna and I have more shows coming up! A big concert in Chippewa Falls, WI on July 31st at 7pm. We're bringing in a band, and it'll be great! It's a beautiful venue.

By the way, Anna and I saw Taylor Swift at this little frozen yogurt place in downtown Franklin, TN called Sweet Cece's! She is very beautiful, and seems very sweet. We were going to introduce ourselves, but an older man who was with her said they were in a hurry, and kinda shoved her out of the door! Yikes. Cool thing: On the way out, she told Anna - You're really pretty! It's nice to meet you! - Isn't that wonderful? How kind of her, even if they wouldn't let us actually chat with her.

Oh, and Anna chatted with Amy Grant on the phone today. They're getting coffee on Wednesday! :)

Praise the Lord for music, and all of the wonderful people we can meet because of it!

Hiccups

I have crazy hiccups right now. :)

(How's that for an update?)

Happy Easter!

Exciting.

Things have been wonderfully exciting lately.

On Monday, I did so many great things! I went to Belmont University to sit in on a performance class. I met a lot of nice people and listened to some great performances. After that, I went to this really neat place in Nashville called Fido. A friend of mine met me there and we chatted for awhile. I had some delicious carrot cake. Delectable.

Then...the exciting part...We went to a church where a whole bunch of people meet around 5:00pm to get together and prepare meals for the homeless. We had to leave before we got to give the food out, but next time I will totally stay for that! We made TONS of spaghetti. Guess why we left? We went to a faculty concert at Belmont. In the Belmont Mansion. It was terrific. Wow. Such beautiful music, and such a beautiful building! It was one of those nights when I didnt' want it to end. I didn't want to go to sleep. That's for sure.

I'm really excited because I'm finally starting to meet people! I'm making friends, and having a great time.

Tomorrow, we are finishing our moving. We're moving into a bigger place in Cool Springs, TN. It'll be really nice. :) I'm just tired of moving, again. Haha. Oh well.

Tonight, I played lots of duets with my fake brother, Bryce. He plays the cello, and we like to mess around. We take piano books and play off of the sheet music. I play the right hand; he plays the left. It's pretty exciting. We're starting to sound really great!

Now, I'm talking to one of my buddies on the phone. It's hard to type and talk at the same time. Haha...but I'm getting the hang of it. :)

Life in Tennesse is exciting. You're very right, Mishel.

Short Update

I'm following Mishel's advice and updating my blog. :)

Things have been crazy lately. I think they are every time I decide to write. Life is super exciting in Tennessee. Tonight, we played in a writer's round at Hotel Indigo in Nashville. It went wonderfully.

I'm sleepy, and have some work to do...but I'll write more in the next couple days!

Good night friends.

Oh Happy Day.

Today was crazy and wonderful.

It was absolutely beautiful, warm and wonderful outside. The sky was super blue. I went on a walk with the Beyer family (my fake family) and the dogs (Charlie and Max).

I made Clara a birthday cake and cupcakes to bring to our show. I made it all by myself and it turned out wonderfully! Delicious.

We tried to pick Billy up from the airport and we got lost...because our exit was closed. And we didn't know what to do. Ugh. And hour and a half later, we got Billy from the airport.

Then, we rushed home, packed up our sound equipment, and rushed off to Murfreesboro for our show. It went super well! Billy, our producer, came. It was a blast. And....best part...My family came! We gave Clara her birthday gifts before the show started, and sang to her and everything. It was just a wonderful night.

Now, I am spending quality time with Bryce, Ethan, Laine, Chris, and Anna. All my favorite people. How happy.

I'm sleepy. And I can't wait to see my family more tomorrow. And I'm excited for our week in the studio. I think I'm just happy right now. Super tired, but really happy. Thanks you Lord for a wonderful day!

Preview

So far, it's been a really nice day. Although things are really tough deep down, I am enjoying this lovely Friday.

Today is my fake mom's birthday - Anna and I live with a family here in Tennessee, so we have a mom here too! - Her mother is in town this week as well. So, the three of us went out to eat for lunch at the Mercantile in downtown Franklin. It's a really cute little place with pretty great food. Then, we went to Meridee's and bought a couple DELICIOUS pastries. Mmm. After eating so much amazingness, we went to Harris Teeter and did some grocery shopping. Fun, fun, fun! It's been a day centered around food... But it's ok! It makes us happy and keeps us alive! What could be better? (Just remember that...haha) Three generations of women spending quality time together, and eating! :) Happy Birthday Natalie! *my fake mom*

Here's a little preview of my week to come...

Tonight: We are having a big birthday dinner for Natalie with the whole fam! It's going to be delicious and fun. Exciting!

Tomorrow: I am picking Billy up from the airport around two. Anna and I have a show at JoZoara's in Murfreesboro, TN at 7pm. My family is going to meet us there!! I'm so excited to see them. And it's Clara's birthday! Good day.

Monday-?: More time in the studio! It's the last week of recording for Anna and I. Then, we are done! The album just has to be mixed and it's all finished! Wahoo! If you want to hear our progress so far, just check out some of the music at Anna's myspace. Enjoy!

Yay. Thank you Lord for all the good things you have put in my life. :)

A Little Shorter?

Today I decided that I'm going to write more often...just less. Haha! For awhile, I was so excited about eveything that I had soo much to write! I still have lots. But, because it's not as new and exciting, I have less motivation to write as much. I don't even know if anyone reads this. But, I will write it anyway. :)

Lately, I've been doing lots of reading and I love it. I've been getting back into regular practicing too (my violin)! It's really nice to have the time to be able to do that.

My family is coming to visit Anna and I in Nashville on Saturday! They are going to be here for the week....and guess what? It's my little sister, Clara's birthday on Saturday! How wonderful. She's going to be 13 years old - officially a teenager. Crazy. But I love her anyway. Haha!

Things have been pretty tough lately, but God is faithful. I just have to trust Him with control! Sometimes that's really hard for me...ugh. But, with His help, I can do it! :)

My blog is probably too long already, so I'll stop. Oh! One more thing!

A couple days ago, I went grocery shopping with the family that I live with,and my "mom" bought me mashed potatoes that are already made! It's amazing! Mashed potatoes are my absolute favorite food, so this was great. I ate some of them today with some ham. What a delicious meal! Mmm.

Ok...good night y'all! (Just kidding...I'm from Wisconsin. Hehe.)

Orchestra...

Today was definitely not as exciting as our week in the studio, but it was still pretty great!

I slept in lots...haha...But after I woke up, I practiced my voilin, did some laundry, and responded to some important e-mails. Pretty normal day until...

Anna met Sammy at Brentwood Baptist Church to discuss some important music-related things...She brought me with. Sammy told me to bring my violin, so I did! (I'm so obedient! ...haha) When I got there, he introduced me to the orchestra director for the church. Yes, the church is so huge that they have their own orchestra! So, I sat in and played with them. The music was so beautiful. Nothing super difficult, but I really enjoyed it. They asked me to play with them in church on Sunday! Yay! Anna might join the choir there too! It's pretty nice...Everyone was so nice to me, and I am really excited to get involved in a church here. I've only been here for a couple weeks, but it's really important for me to get involved in a church family. What a wonderful way to be involved! Praise the Lord!

I had been wanting to find some things that I could do to keep myself busy. I missed playing my violin for things, so this is the perfect opportunity! It's mine! Anna's music has been providing such wonderful opportunities for me, but now I have another one that is from my music! Cool...

After that orchestra adventure, Anna and I went to the Publix grocery store to get some milk and bread. We had been out of milk for a week! (I love milk, so that was difficult for me to handle...) And I just finished the bread today. I had the end crust piece with a slab of turkey for lunch...It was dry. Ugh. But this bread should be much better! I hope...Haha! But, instead of just getting the necessities, we got something a little extra...We bought this delicious coffee/brownie ice cream! I'm not exactly sure what it was...but it was good. Good is an understatement, but I am speechless; it was superb, fantastic, delightful, delectable, amazing....those types of things. :) I enjoyed it. We watched Project Runway while pigging out. Just kidding. We didn't eat that much of it. I shoved it in the tiny freezer. Somehow, I found room...We are going to eat the rest later. :) MMmmmm....

Now, it's bed time. Tomorrow morning, I am meeting with a professor at Vanderbilt University to discuss violin lessons. It should be a great experience! I like driving to Nashville....I feel so independent! Anna has to work in the morning, so I am dropping her off. It will be another busy and exciting day in Nashville! (and Franklin....) Good night everyone!

Studio (Day #5)

I'll try to make this blog a little shorter, because I always write so much! Oops. I get excited and then I get carried away....that seems to happen a lot. Haha...anyway!

This morning, I woke up (officially) at about 10am. That's so late! Wow. I must have been tired. I say "officially" because my boyfriend texted me earlier this morning to say good morning, and I don't even remember what I said! Haha...I was awake enough to know I was talking to him and that I was really happy!

Anna and I went to the studio at 11:34. We were supposed to be there at 11:30, but we were late. Oops! Thankfully, they weren't even ready to start anyway. Once everything was set, Brennan started doing more guitar stuff. He got a few things done when suddenly, Billy's phone rang. It was Adam McCants. He pitches music to TV/film. We had a meeting scheduled with him over lunch, and we almost forgot! So, we rushed to the Royal Thai in Brentwood. The food was delicious, and he was very polite and gentlemanly. (Is that a word?) He reminded me of Zach in so many ways! That might sound strange, but I didn't mean it in a weird way.

After eating, we went back to the studio. Brennan finished his guitar stuff. Then, the three of us headed out to the Battle Ground Brewery? Or something like that. It was a live broadcast all over the world. We sang some songs, and we had some great fans from Chippewa listening. We also got free food. Delicious.

Now, we are in the studio. Anna just finished her vocals for the new song, Someday. It sounds beautiful. It's been an adventurous day....just like the rest of this week was!

Tomorrow is Daddy's birthday! Anna and I are going to Skype with him. I'm super excited to see my family again. I also get to have a Spyke date with Zach. It's just going to be a nice day.

Cool beans.

Studio (Day #4)

An interesting day?

This morning, I woke up to somebody knocking on our door. I stood up too fast to get to the door, and I kinda completely blacked out, so I couldn't really see what was going on...plus, I didn't have my contacts in. It ended up being my roommate, Rebecca. I knew I was supposed to be babysitting her boy today, but I didn't realize it was that early. So, she went off to school, and I stayed home with her sick little boy. :( Poor little guy...

After getting ready for the day, I went upstairs to check on Brady, and he was just watching some TV. I joined him for awhile. We watched some Spongebob, and goofy shows like that. Haha! Then, we played a game of Sorry Slider. I had never played it before and I accidentally won! I didn't mean to...I wanted him to! So, we played again and he definitely won. :) The rest of our time together, he played computer games on my computer. Haha...How exciting.

After that, I attempted to make myself decent looking so I was ready to go to the studio with Anna as soon as she got home from work. I was all ready, but I wasn't feeling good...at all. So, I layed down in my bed. I was half asleep for awhile, while texting my love. Then, Anna came home and we had to book it to the studio.

When we got there, Greg Hagen was recording some sweet guitar stuff for Anna's album. (I still didn't feel good at all, so I just relaxed on the couch and soaked it all in...)

Then, Anna and I went to P.F.Chang's for dinner. We shared some sesame chicken (delicious) and chatted about all this music stuff. The waiter was super friendly. Apparently, he is a producer of some sort, and he gave us his information...and he gave us free dessert!!! MMmmmm...

Now, we are in the studio with Billy's son, Brennan. He's also a fantastic guitarist and he's only like 19 or something...Cool. Studio work is awesome. I think Anna is going to record some vocals tonight too. Busy night. It's just beginning. Crazy week, and crazy day.

Nashville is definitely the place to be. Fun. I'm so glad that Anna's here. That's probably why it is such a cool place! She's wonderful. My sister!!!

Studio (Day #3)

So many amazing things happened/are happening today!

1.) One of my roommates knocked on my door around noon when I was practicing my violin. She told me that somebody wanted to come and see our room. (We are trying to move out...) Here's the deal. We wanted to move to a different place by the beginning of February, but because of our lease, we were "stuck" until the end of February. UNLESS...somebody decided they wanted to move in for February. And guess what? This lady came to see our room today and loved it! She layed down her deposit today!!! So, Anna and I get to move into the downstairs apartment of a house (or as I like to call it, a mansion) in just a couple weeks! How cool is that? (Other than all the crazy cleaning I had to do today, that was so exciting! I cleaned like a mad-woman!)

2.) I talked to my mother on the phone, and my parents are paying for me to get a fancy pickup (or pick up, or pick-up...or whatever it's called...) for my violin! Now, I won't have to play into my singing microphone when Anna and I perform. That'll make it easier. Plus, it will sound lots better! It's a pretty pricey thing, but so worth it! When I talked to Fred at the Violin Shop, he explained everything to me, and now I'm excited. I just have to figure out the details like: how long will it take? Could I please borrow a loaner violin? haha....When can I get it done? ...and exactly how much will it cost?

3.) When I went to the violin shop, Fred also gave me the number of a man who teaches at Vanderbilt. I called him up today, and we are going to meet sometime this week to figure out details. I might be able to take lessons from him! He's classically trained, and Fred said he plays all types of music. I am finally going to become a fiddler! Wahoo! That makes me happy.

4.) Anna and I are in the studio now. (Not Billy's....we went to Ken Lewis' house/studio to put in the drums and bass. It's wonderful! Matt Pierson is doing the bass. He's fantastic. Ken Lewis is doing the drums. He's fantastic too. What an experience.

What a day! I'm sure more wonderful things happened, but I can't quite remember.

Funny story...I made tea this morning and then forgot about it. Oops. By the time I remembered, it was cold. So, I went to heat it in the microwave. I continued to clean while it was heating up...Then, I forgot about it again. This happened a couple times. I made the mistake of microwaving it with the tea bag still in it. Apparently, that's a bad idea. By the third or fourth time microwaving it, the tea bad kinda opened and the tea looked discusting! So, I dumped it out and started all over again. This time, I stood by the microwave and waited until it was done. I didn't set it down until I drank the whole thing. Haha. All that work for a mug of tea! Yikes...But it was delicious!

Studio (Day #2)

Today was another wonderful day! Wow...I had no idea there could be so many great days in a row.

I got up bright and early again this morning. I dropped Anna off at work and went home to get ready for the day. I read my Bible, read some of my other book (Fearless by Max Lucado), and practiced my violin! It was a productive morning.

Then, I made a turkey and cheese sandwich for lunch. Sadly, it didn't turn out so well. I had no idea you could be bad at making a deli sandwich...But, I managed somehow. The bread was a little dry, and I couldn't find any mayo...So, it was just dry bread, turkey and cheese (I couldn't find the sharp knife, so the cheese was really thick...).

But, it provided all the protein that I needed to successfully make it to THE Violin Shop! I drove all by myself! I was very proud (and still am). It's such a cool place, and Fred Carpenter is so nice! He took a look at my violin, and helped me out with some things. I might be buying a pick up for my violin, and he gave me the number of a man I might take fiddle lessons from! Bellevue is a pretty place. The drive over was lovely.

Right after that, I picked Anna up from Starbucks...I was waiting for Anna to get done working, and just sitting in my chair attempting to read my book. But, there was an elderly gentleman just staring at me. It was super awkward. He was sitting right next to me and watching me. I was so uncomfortable! ...I don't think he was trying to be weird, but I definitely couldn't concentrate on my book. Haha! Oh well...

Then, we went to the studio to continue working on the other songs! At the moment, we are at Blair Masters' house and he is adding the cool keyboard stuff...There's sweet organ sounds, and everything like that! Yay.

Oh! Today, a friend asked me what I'm doing with school and everything these days...I was going to e-mail her and explain, but I figured other people might be curious too. So, I'll explain now:

I am kinda taking a leave of absence this semester. Last semester, I attended Drake University in Des Moines, IA for violin performance. My professors were disappointed that I was leaving, so they arranged everything with the school so I can return in the fall. They're holding all my scholarships! It's wonderful...This semester, I am obviously living in Nashville with Anna. We are recording her album and performing. I contacted Drake to see if I could take some classes online while I'm here, so I'm going to take music theory and possibly ear-training as independent study courses. I will also be taking lessons with somebody...Nothing is completely set in stone yet, but it's all in progress!

Tomorrow is going to be another great day in the studio...

Studio (Day #1)

Today, it officially feels like I live in Nashville. Amazing.

Anna and I are spending all week in the studio with Billy (her producer). Today and Tuesday, we are planning the last 4 songs for her album. She started to lay down the guitar tracks for a couple songs. We also recorded some scratch vocals. Tomorrow, we will do the same for the other couple songs. It's so exciting to see how all the recording stuff works. We are jamming, planning, and imagining what it will sound like by the end of the week after all the (professional) musicians add their stuff: drums, guitar, keys, and all that cool stuff! She wrote some wonderful songs that nobody except Billy and I have heard so far...So just wait until you can hear them!

Wednesday, some of the studio musicians are coming to start laying down their tracks. It's all coming together. I think Thursday is some more of the same...Thursday night and Friday, we start with the vocal tracks! Crazy. I'm so blessed to be a part of it all!

I also get to start "managing" some stuff! Anna and I searched for cool venues in Nashville, and we got their contact information. Now, I get to plug it all into an excel spreadsheet. Haha! I feel very important. As long as she calls the places, I would be happy to find all the phone numbers. :)

I'm really excited to start performing lots again. Since I was at school (Drake, last semester) and Anna was in Nashville, we didn't get to play many shows...We were so far away! But now, we can really start performing together again. And once the album is released, we will be playing tons of shows! Hopefully we will be touring some, and doing our school tours. What an adventure. I am so excited.

At the moment, Anna and Billy are jamming out to one of her new songs! It's awesome...I am sitting on a couch-thing that is breaking. Actually, it is kinda saggy in the middle, and every time I move, I cracks a little. Yikes! It's comfortable though. And I just ate my dinner: a little bag of fritos, a slice of pecan pie, and for dessert, an oatmeal cream pie! What a lovely evening this is.

Tonight, Anna and I will be working out and then writing more music! I'm not exactly sure what else yet, but it'll be great. Nashville is such a wonderful place. It's definitely a place where dreams come true.

Maybe I will end up going to school here...or maybe even living here someday...Who knows? Anything can happen if you just believe. (Ok...That was a cheesy quote from the Hilary Duff movie, "A Cinderfall Story"....Haha! I love that movie!)

I am going to take some pictures of Anna and I in the studio this week, so you'll see what we're up to soon! :)

My first Sunday in Nashville...

Good morning! Today is a beautiful Sunday in Franklin, TN. There was frost on the windows (and we had to scrape), but it's still a sunny and beautiful blue day!

Anna and I got up bright and early this morning so I could take her to work at Starbucks! Normally, I sleep while she gets up and toils away. But this time, I got up too! Trust me. There's a good reason. I dropped Anna off at work so I could take the car to meet Zach's mom! She happened to be driving through Nashville, so we're going to hang out!

At the moment, I am just hanging out at Starbucks, sipping my white chocolate mocha. It's delicious. Today is going to be a nice day. I am going to run some errands: return some things at Walmart and...Oh wait. That's probably it. Oh well!

I'm not really familiar with the area yet (since I just moved here, and this is the first day I've had a car while Anna is at work). I might drive around and find the library... It'll be an adventurous day until I go back to pick up Anna from work. I'm not saying that it won't be fun after that. Oops! It kinda sounded like it. We will have adventures together after that. She is in the process of writing another song! So, we'll probably work on that. Fun.

Plus...I have another Skype date today. :)

Have a wonderful Sunday!

First blog EVER!

Wow. This is my first blog ever! How exciting...

At the moment, I am in bed just thinking about everything that is going on these days! Crazy! Recently, I moved to Nashville and am living with my amazing sister, Anna Johnson. She is a very talented singer/songwriter, and I have the pleasure of being able to perform with her!

Over the past couple months, we have been working on her first professional, nashville-quality recording! How cool is that? She hired some REAL professional musicians like Andy Leftwich (my favorite), John Catchings, Byron House, Dennis Holt, and many more! It's been a fantastic experience, and I'm excited to see what's going to happen next! I'll keep you updated...

Ok. I will admit that this whole blog-writing thing is really stressful! Haha...Thankfully, I got the serious stuff out of the way. Now I can be my normal, goofy self! :)

Guess what? I used skype for the first time today! It's a little awkward, but I loved it. I talked to my best friend. It was our little date, and it made me so happy! (He's a little far away right now, so that's how we get to see each other.) That's another new thing that's happened to me lately!

Everything is good. Being in Nashville, being in love, and being happy! What could be better? Praise the Lord for everything that's been happening lately! It's wonderful!

It's been a good new year. Happy January!