198/365

I have never done wine with a burger.....until tonight. Also, when was the last time you had a root beer float? I mean, c'mon. It has got to be one the most underrated dishes ever. Sometimes you just have to let go of all your inhibitions and preconceived ideas and just go for it. Order the rootbeer float. Indulge a little, people. (Although, arguably, there are consequences for overindulging...like a waistline.) So, I'll rephrase, indulge responsibly. Goodnight.

197/365

I believe that one day, a very very distant day from now, kids will be in world history class somewhere studying the downfall of America. And right there in the textbook it will say "it all started with reality television programming". Of course it will be followed by some incredible and peculiar snowball of reality that was spurred by reality tv. Nonetheless, all things will point to reality tv as the downfall of this country. (says the girl who makes a video blogs daily.)

Just kidding. I don't really have strong feelings against reality tv. I just prefer shows with great writing and great plots and great characters. But, I went against the natural Nicolle and crashed a Bachelorette party tonight, mainly to get some QT with some BFF's. Lemme just say, I cannot believe that 1 person, let alone a whole country, thinks for one second that any of it is believable. But, oh well.

We agreed to take a drink of wine every time someone on the show said the word 'love'. Now this was something I could get excited about! But 5 minutes in, a severe weather report cut into the show and we changed the drinking word to 'rotation'. Wow, we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into and consequently, we all quit about 45 minutes in. This was supposed to be a sophisticated event. But with no thanks to weatherman (the real one, not the guy on that stupid show), our show and our game were a flop.

196/365

We obviously take ourselves very seriously. Today was a room full of unplanned blue and white stripes writing a song about sunshine. I wish for everyone to have half as much fun in a week as we do in a day.

195/365

At the risk of looking like a complete dork, I held back the tears today. But, it's just a simple fact that I cry when I see babies. I see a miracle. I cry. I see innocence. I cry. I am so excited for my publisher, BJ Hill, and his wife, Holly, on their firstborn...Lukas!

194/365

Oh, Christmas. The gift that keeps on giving. Can't really share the details of this project but we've been asked to provide some new Mistletoe material, for whom I cannot say. But this much i can say. Think Mistletoe Project and Kesha on the Polar Express wrapped up in dress made of tinsel and peppermint stripes...and multiply it times 10. And then you'll almost be onto what we were creating today.

193/365

What is it about birthdays that can be so hard? Oh yeah…..expectations. Somewhere along the way, either consciously or subconsciously, (and at an age too young to remember), I painted a portrait to accompany each number.

16? A letter jacket donned with many pins and a new set of hand-me-down car keys in hand. 18? A 20x20 dorm room with color coordinated bedding and an out-of-state roommate. 21? High heels and a sophisticated drink in a posh nightclub with lots of beautiful friends. So many of my projections up to this point came seemingly close to my reality.

But it gets a little trickier from there. And whatever self-fulfilling portrait I managed to paint in my mind was thrown out the window a long time ago. Because whatever it is that I thought 22, 23, 24, 25 were going to look like? Well, they didn’t. And on this 22^nd day of July, the same can now be said for 26. Whatever white-picket fence, stabilized career, financially predictable and logical path I thought I would be on…… is nowhere to be found. And to that, I say hallelujah. Because I trust that God is big. Real big. And He is putting this life into motion.

I can’t lie, though. I didn’t have such a peace about my last birthday. 25. In my mind, it sounded like the number had outrun my accomplishments. As if my life was a race and it was my job to actually beat time. Or, even worse, to make things happen in my own time. But this year I have found an identity in having NOT heard a song I wrote on the radio, NOT having children, NOT owning a home and NOT having a job that has benefits. (Medical and dental, I mean. Don’t get me wrong. My job has LOTS of benefits.) And for all of this, and for so many reasons, I am thankful beyond belief.

Because on the morning on my 26^th birthday… in a borrowed house…a man I thought I’d never marry…. woke me up in a city I thought I’d never make it in… and drove me in a car I thought I’d never drive… to a place I’ve never been before. Six Flags over Georgia. A road trip & rollercoasters. Pretty much trumps whatever I would have had in mind. Now that is something worth eating cake for.

192/365

Take it from me. It is not fun to strike out in slow-pitch. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

It IS, however, fun to be on a team that never loses. Hollywood 12- Ligers, 8.

191/365

It was a redNIC birthday party! Yes, we named it. Yes, we are cheesy. Yes, I am a lucky girl to have such great friends. When the conversation was had about what we'd be doing to honor my life this week, I felt little to no desire to get dressed up or to go somewhere "cool". This may sound pretentious, but it's the truth--we do that all the time. So I think at some point I said the words "redneck" & "activity" and whatdya know...we ended up at a Sonic and then covered in bug spray at a drive-in all sharing a DQ ice cream cake off my lap. If it wasn't for that one birthday party where my parents made me go last, this may be the best birthday partyI've had. And my birthday isn't even here yet!!!! Mwahahahaha!!!

190/365

I drink coffee. That's a statement I thought I would never say. In all fairness, I really only drink 1 particular concoction at Starbucks that includes coffee. Nonetheless, I drink coffee.

Today I was "at coffee" with a friend when I started thinking about this little drink. What is it about sitting at a table over two cups of this caffeinated poison that makes us show our inner-most vulnerabilities? And what is it about the thrill of ordering a cup of something that has up to 12 potential names (none of which are small, medium or large)? Feedback on this topic, please. Anddd....go!

189/365

Any fool who's ever walked into a bowling alley knows what a turkey is: it's 3 consecutive strikes. But how many of us can really say we know what a fourbagger is? Or even more, how many of us have ever earned the title of fourbagger?

I had the blast of all blasts tonight at a redneck bowling alley drinking apple pie moonshine, eating nachos and completely dominating in back-to-back-to-back games of bowling. Happy birthday, Jessica Tompkins! And happy striking to meeeee!!!

188/365

My friend Lindsey made her Bluebird debut tonight. She's 50% of the duo This & That. This isn't her singing, this is another great artist in the round. (I know, I'm wierd.) But I just can't resist the sound of people singing in unison. Especially when they're lyrics like these. Sometimes you just wanna feel good :)

187/365

As if my excuses for my lack of blogging weren't enough, I had some technical difficulties this week. I still don't know what happened but somewhere in the upload, drag, reupload, convert, download, embed process...my videos from this day got all jacked up. The video and audio were out of sync and the audio was all warped and chipmunk-like. But at the end of the day I have decided that this was some kind of divine creative touch on this entry. This is the excerpt from my write with Eric...twilight zone style.

186/365

And on the 2nd day, they rested. As any good tour guide would, I provided my lovely guests with an equally lovely poolside experience.

185/365

Hello?!!!! Anybody out there?!!

Yes, that's right. I have--for many days now--been absent from my blogging residence. Nobody home. No lights on. Not even a flicker. But, I am here to say that I. Am. Back.

I have two theories as to why I have fallen short this past week. For the past few weeks, I've really been aiming for the halfway point of this project. Everytime someone has mentioned TFP to me all month, I've said "I can't believe I'm almost halfway done!". I think that sense of accomplishment sparked some complacency. Bad girl. Very bad girl. Everybody needs a halftime, though, right? But here's the thing about halftime. If you have a half-time, you have a 3rd quarter. And 3rd quarters are tough. So, that's my first theory. The halftime theory. Which leads me to my second theory....

...company. (hence the video) My cousin Dustin and his girlfriend have been staying with us all week. And as much as I love company, I have to admit that I go into a different mode of operation. I almost feel as if I'm on vacation in my own house. I maintained a partial work week while they were here, but I didn't manage to maintain my workout regimen or my blogging regimen. And for that, I deeply apologize.

Whatever the culperit, I am back on track and ready for a great 2nd half of 2010, with this clip of Dustin and I reenacting a duet we were forced to sing when we were seniors in h.s. If I could get my hands on the original clip, then we'd really be in business :)

184/365

When people tell me they are enamored with songwriters and the writing process, I say to them "Sure you can! Writing is easy!" This is often followed by an eye roll on their behalf. Because to me, putting words to music is natural. And it's not until I sit down in front of a blank canvas or a sewing machine or anything crafty that I begin to relate to how others feel about songwriting.

So, tonight, I went to a birthday party at a pottery place. Not gonna lie. I've been somewhat dreading the whole experience this week. I begin to have flashbacks of junior high art class when the teacher would circle the room, looking over everyone's shoulder. I did not love that. But 1 martini and some Copper Kettle in, and I was fearlessly painting :) Maybe that's what was missing in Junior High....the martini bar ;)

183/365

It started with an emergency trip to the dentist, instigated by a crumbling tooth. If that wasn't bad enough, I got a phone call that just let me down. Not anything traumatic, just something that really disappointed me. And, as much as I tried to look at my life through a lens of gratitude, I'd be lying if I didn't say that today was just a bad day. Not on my list of favorites.

But, right before I left my dentist shared that he'd be traveling to Guatemala next week to do dental work on the poor. He mentioned how heartbreaking it is for him to see this young, beautiful, teenage girls...and then he has to remove their four front teeth because they're in so much pain. It's all about perspective, this life.

And as for that phone call that let me down, well, that was somewhat compensated for when I realized that today I am officially MORE THAN HALFWAY DONE WITH THE FLIP PROJECT!!!! Leave it to me to always find the silver lining :)

182/365

It's been 4 years since either of us have swung a bat, which is all the more reason to do so...right?! We basically turned the garage upside down looking for our gloves & cleats so that we would be well-equipped for co-ed summer league. Turns out we're on a pretty great team. Great people. Great smiles. Great hitters. Great fielders. Great recruiters. (since they asked us to play. or did they ask us? maybe we asked them. I don't remember.) Anyway, you're going to wanna stay tuned for more future installments of summer softball in the upcoming Wednesdays. Be prepared for strikeouts, pop flies and maybe even an occasional pulled hamstring. I have to hand it to myself for really taking this All-American summer thing as far as it will go. I've done walk-up ice cream joints, fireworks stands, public swimming pools, and now the ball diamonds. I'm feeling a local produce tent or a neighborhood lemonda stand just around the corner....

181/365

Here it is, yall . 7.4.10 in all it's glory. There may or may not have been a few lonely moments in the making of this video.

180/365

And, the final installment of 4th of July: Pt 4 goes to Killswitch, the up-and-coming rockstars hailing from the Sterling Grade School 6th grade class. Yes, they are playing their own instruments. Yes, they are wearing camo. Yes, they are being pulled by a truck on a trailer. They gave us all a lesson in how to parade in the rain this year.

I was seriously sooooo thrilled to see kids that age taking the initiative and interest in commercial music. See you guys in Nashville upon graduation in 2017 ;)

179/365

4th of July: Pt 3. Turtle races...need I say more? Our 4th of July is epic, I tell ya. Epic. (proper usage of the often-overused word.)

178/365

4th of July: Pt 2. Ahhhh, the Ponderosa. A certain secret river-front cabin property that belongs to the coolest twins I know, Shiloh & Tanner Vincent.

Today reminded me of something I've known for a long time: I was blessed with a great group of guys to grow up with. You would have to know them for these words to really make sense, but I'll try anyway. I grew up with a group of young men with loved to flirt, but always respected me. A group of young men who had a ton of fun, but always excelled in class. A group of young men who were competitive with me and pushed me to be better at everything, because they were. And a group of young men who, although they taught me how to cuss and talk like a guy, had my back at every turn and never once tried to make an inappropriate advance in a vulnerable moment. And young men who adored their mothers and would hold open a door for mine. Now how many girls can say that? I guess that's a big part of why I still talk to most all of them on the phone to this day. I don't know much about life, but I am smart enough to know that these guys helped shape the woman I am. The way they treated me with respect made me value myself and trust men. They way they challenged me intellectually helped me feel capable of great things. And on and on. I am certain my relationships and personality would look very different had I been faced with a different handful of guys to grow up with.

As I look at the high school in my hometown right now, I see so much disrespect (towards each other, towards adults, towards themselves)...and I look back and think, "wow. I had it made."

177/365

4th of July: Pt 1. I had the best talk with my Senior English teacher today at the swimming pool. One of the most respected teachers I've ever had. The conversation was winding and somehow lead to some very sound advice. She said that people don't so much remember what you say or even your actions. But they surely remember how you make them feel. I believe it's a Maya Angelou quote paraphrased. And I plan to ruminate on that for a long time. Thank you, Mrs. Dutton (although you always made us call you Betsy, which makes you that much cooler.) If you look closely you can pick her out in the company that performed the community musical revue to kick off the 4th of July festivities. The 4th of July festivities that never happened, to be exact.

176/365

Long story short: they're tearing down my grade school in 4 days. On to bigger and better, brighter and red-bricker things. The windows and the doors are gone. There's little left of it structurally. And, I want to be the first to say that I am 100% in support of a new school. But if those walls could talk, they'd tell stories of my first day, first grade, my first kiss; a shy girl with dimples who continually aspired to be the first to raise her hand with the right answer; a music room where, for show and tell, that shy girl would play piano. It was within these walls that my whole concept of childhood was built. Somewhere between the numbers and the phonics, I was learning how to stand in a line, wait my turn, follow the leader, be a leader, be chased by a boy, be a friend, listen to my elders, create stories, start and finish something, and make good grades. These days, the grade by which I am measured has changed and the stories I'm writing are a little more complicated. But, I wouldn't be the dreamer and the chaser and the wild-at-heart woman I am if it weren't for the most magical and formidable years of my life at Sterling Grade School.

I guess I was exercising the principle of coloring outside of the lines (or maybe it was just plain breaking the rules) today as I ignored the caution tape and hurdled the orange barrier that now surrounds the school. And it was worth the risk tenfold. Because I am one who believes that you, indeed, can go back again. And that times can stand still in your heart, if only for the hiccup of a second when you smell a smell or see the flashing of a frame in your head that takes you there. As I dodged the piles of broken glass and walked through a blanket of dust, I was transported to another time. And it was a little bit painful. Painful to think how distant the girl with the silly blog is from the girl that inhabited that building. I want that girl back frequently. Don't we all?

Which is why tearing a building of this kind down can cause such a stir in a community. But, I have to thing that the building itself doesn't actually hold anything tangible that we value. It holds the space that triggers those flashbacks to the days of childhoods past. The gateway to our youth, if you will. And that is a very valuable and precious thing. But, I, for one said my farewells to Sterling Grade School today. Upward and onward I say. But as for the memory of the girl that used to be, I will never EVER bid her farewell. And neither should you.

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It’s six feet high around here, yall! I’m talking 360 degrees in all directions. Nothing but cornfields. And when the streets are paved with the money made from it, you thank the Lord. Every part of this country and every culture around the world, for that matter, takes pride in its resources. The west coast has palm trees. The Rockies have snow. The northeast has crabcakes. And we have corn. It beautiful and I have to smile when I see the towns guarded by rows standing tall and proud like soldiers this time of year. This footage is from my husband’s family’s farm. Stretching out as far as you can see…..up ahead, behind and in between…nothing but cornfields.

174/365

I’ve been visiting Gruver, TX (home of the Greyhounds, Rodney Clawson, and my in-laws) for more than 4 years now. And, everytime I’m there the one and only Mexican restaurant in town (and one of only 3 restaurants total if you count Dairy Queen) is closed. I don’t know if they literally go to Mexico to retrieve their ingredients that frequently or what…but they’re always closed. And it’s been a sticking point with me. Because I’ve experienced the church, the grocery store, the farm supply, the farm itself, the streets when I run, but I’ve never tried the salsa. Well, cross it off the list. Gruver, I am slowly but surely consuming all you have to offer. Big feat, I know ;)

173/365

If it weren’t for the mosquitoes that are currently plaguing the Midwest, I’d feel completely justified throwing around words like ‘heavenly’ and ‘perfect’ to describe this nearly-euphoric vacation. I’ve had the privilege of getting to travel a fair amount in the last 5 years. Beaches, mountains, resorts, cities…and I have to say that a staycation at my parents’ house stacks up against the best of these. I think the lesson here is that most of the fulfilling experiences in life are, at the very core, simple. Simple, simple, simple. This past week has been a testament to how the basic things go a long way when it comes to the soul. A simple conversation over a simple meal after a simple night at the ball diamonds in a simple town is no little thing to me. It’s so often said that the best things in life are free. And, that’s true. But I’m starting to think that a truer statement might be that the best things in life are simple.