362/365

I'm not gonna lie. I'm starting to get somewhat sentimental as I make these final entries. Like I want every day to be much more interesting than it is so i can go out with a bang. But the truth is, life is not like the movies. It is much more sporadic. Harder to predict and I'm glad for that. But back to today...

As I mentioned yesterday, we find ourselves back in the great state of Texas for the final hunting trip of 2010. And it brings me great joy to know that I have almost....not quite, but almost survived another year of these windy, cold, rural, quiet, dry and a little bit depressing days spent in Gruver. On one hand, these little farming towns are gold because they prioritize the things that matter. God, family, church, school, etc. But it's almost like an oxymoron to me because at the same time there are so many people that are starved for community. Living out in the country and not seeing but a few people a day scares the crud out of me. I would be so lonely. And yet there are those who are completely fulfilled. I guess it's a matter of blooming where you're planted. And today I was planted 4 miles west and 1 mile south of town with 18 pheasant hunters while the wind nearly took my feet out from under me. Chalk it up to marriage to find me (the least outdoorswoman) all up in that.

361/365

Aaaaand, we're back. Had a fun night hanging out with some friends in Gruver tonight. A little wine and an old guitar go a long way way out here. (Much needed socialization.)

360/365

No matter whose house we're at or which holiday we're celebrating it usually ends up with a guitar around a table laughing and singing with Uncle Dennis. But this year we were all gathered around a video of Uncle Dennis (& Jake & Cole) singing in their jammies about 20 years ago. At one point I looked around the room and took notice at how everyone was hanging on to every second of old tape like it was gold. And it made me feel really really good about this project and all the nights I've stayed up late uploading then transferring then editing then uploading again then embedding and writing a little copy. If I said I've wanted to quit a million times, it would still be an understatement. But I know that someday this will matter to somebody. Time flies and although I can never slow it down, I can do my best to remember it.

359/365

Some say that a family that prays together, stays together. I agree. But I'm gonna take it a step farther and say that a family that sings together, stays together too. I don't know how this started, but I hope it never ends. Merry Christmas from the Galyon's.

358/365

The little drummer boy's dreams came true in a big way. And the best part? They're digital. No noise at all. Ahhhh....it's a Christmas miracle.

357/365

In 3rd grade we did a Christmas musical called "The Anything Toy". I remember it vividly because: a) Erin Kruse was the lead and Erin was a little prodigy and I was mesmerised by how amazing she was & b) because I remember everything that has to do with music and my childhood. Anyway, the whole premise for this play was about how the greatest gift of all that Christmas was the box that the gifts came in. Because it could be ANYTHING! Ta-da! Well, lets just say that idea was more than validated this Christmas Eve when my niece opened about 30 presents and then played with the wrapping all night. Gotta love that. She's practical & resourceful :)

356/365

Christmas is only truly Christmas through the eyes of a child. Luckily, I've never had a year of my life this far where someone in my family didn't believe in Santa. (FYI, Coop still believes, but I feel that chapter coming to a close very soon. In fact, he may not even believe anymore, but is too afraid that he won't come if he admits he knows the truth!) I remember walking into the kitchen at my Grandma's one year and overhearing my aunt tell grandma that the dollhouse from my cousin "wasn't under the tree because it was going to be from Santa". It would've been less painful to punch my in the gut 20 times. I was a MESS. Eventually I got over that and lived vicariously through my younger brothers. And NOW, thankfully, I've got nieces and nephews and 2nd cousins that are being born so fast that I can't keep up. Thank you, God, for these little eyes who only reinforce the whole point of this holiday: new life.

355/365

The Galyon Brothers Christmas Party. There's not much to say other than I remember when we first starting going to these and it was a big deal because I was young and the idea of getting dressed up and taking a boyfriend to a "company" Christmas party made me feel pretty legit. Now I'm and old married woman and the scene looks different, but I am and always will be so proud to be a part of a dinner that acknowledges some of the hardest-working, generous, amazing men I know...the G-Bros. If you wanna know about taking a little and turning it into alot....

354/365

Gruver down, Sterling to go. The 4 & 1/2 hr drive from TX to KS aint no thang in our eyes. The first two hours of the trip are usually spent rehashing everything that went down in the last few days. The next two hours are spent predicting the condition of the upcoming few days. This trip in particular was exciting because we took "taking the backroads" to a whole new level. We didn't hit a familiar highway for, gosh, about 2 hours. Between our iphones & the gps on the truck, we kept finding little cut-acrosses. Cut-acrosses that took 45 minutes off our drive. Highway 54 can go fly a kite. We prefer the dirtroads. And as for our destination, have you ever seen anything cuter than my hometown at Christmastime? It's quaint. It's charming. It's magical. And it's all mine for a few days.

353/365

It's probably because he reminds me so much of my Grandpa Galyon who passed away when I was in junior high. Or maybe it's because he's got that good ole boy/ grumpy old man combo goin for him...which we all know goes a long way with me. But a trip to Gruver, TX just wouldn't be complete without some face time with the one and only Charlie Bell. The first time I ever visited his house, I ended up winning $50 off of him over some silly bet we made. And to this day I can say we ALWAYS leave his house a little richer than when we came. This trip we introduced him to apple pie moonshine (a Clawson household staple) and he gave us a bottle of Ciroc. Nothing says Christmas and family like the exchange of hard alcohol :)

In this clip you'll see he and Rodney playing poker off the serial numbers on $20 bills. Outcome? We net $80 in about 5 minutes. Merry Christmas, yall.

352/365

Rodney's mom (otherwise known as Gammy) is notorious for her stocking stuffers. She loves a good stocking. She's also locally famous for her Jesus Birthday Cake, which should be coming soon. So stay tuned..

351/365

Life is so ironic. Mr. Comley used to beg me to sing any kind of solo. And somehow I almost made it out of 8 years of choir, 2 years of Singers, & girls ensemble w/o a trace of a solo. Until the final concert of my senior year when I was no longer asked, but volunTOLD to sing. So I personally find it extremely amusing that almost 10 years later I finally gave in and sang the solo of Mr. Comley's dreams. Or should I say my dreams.

Tonight I had the complete HONOR & PLEASURE & PRIVILEGE of singing "The Giver & The Gift" with my alma mater's choir backing me in the church I grew up in during the holidays. I'm at the point in my songwriting career where hearing ANYONE sing one of my lyrics back to me (or use it as facebook status, etc) just makes my stinkin day. But having the harmonies of an entire choir wrap around you and the entire sanctuary...now that's a whole 'nother ballgame. Hands down, one of my favorite moments of the year. Thank you, SHS, for keeping it classy at Christmas time.

350/365

He's begging for a drum kit for Christmas this year. I apologize to everyone who lives w/in ear shot of North 7th Street. We have a little drummer boy in training.

349/365

Our next door neighbors, the Stromberg's, know how to throw a party. Probably my favorite Christmas party every year all around. I have babysat all 3 Stromberg boys, who are now far from boys. 2 in law school, 2 in frats, 2 in ROTC. But at the end of the day I never let them forget who used to send them to their rooms. I wasn't messin around.

348/365

My bro broke his hand in football (cause his last name is Galyon and going an entire sports season w/o an injury would apparently be absurd) and wasn't able to play basketball until this week. Luckily, I slid back in town for Christmas break right in time to see him play. Now, I'm a football girl at heart, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't love not having to dress like an eskimo and untangle my Kansas windblown hair in order to see a game. So, here's to the changing of seasons and a very successfull Blackbear basketball season.

347/365

Growing up in a house full of little boys meant very little peace. Very little quiet. And very few opportunities to practice the piano. So I spent alot of time up at the Methodist Church in the empty sanctuary by myself. And what started as simply practicing turned into something very sacred. It was so spiritual and uplifting to sit in the silence, which I did sometimes. And then minutes later fill the whole room up with music. I miss that alot. And today, for the first time in a long time, I got the chance to just sit there and play some old hymns and not think about rhyming or songwriting or publishing or who's cutting a record or what kind of record I'd want to make or what I'd want to say. I just played. And it was heavenly.

346/365

Final day in Nashville consisted of cleaning the entire house (because we all turn into our mothers), a little studio time, a packing extravaganze and ended with 3 Christmas parties. Needless to say, we blew a big kiss goodbye to Music City in true yuletide style this year. If I told you that this was a company Christmas party, would you even believe that we have real jobs?

345/365

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't really proud of our Christmas cards this year. As my good friend Betsy said, they were "adorable & clever & heartflet & the forethought is just impressive". I mean, that is alot coming from Mrs. Jones, who I'm sure receives cards from a highly creative set of people every year. It can be hard to put together a couple-only Christmas card. I mean, I feel a huge sense of responsibility to give people a little more than just a photo. It needs a concept, a purpose, and something that evokes an emotion. Can you tell I love a good Christmas card? I would also like to add that 125 cards do not go very far when you have big old All-American, midwest families. I try to do my best to cover our bases without completely breaking the bank, but if you didn't get one and want one, email me.

344/365

Only my Nashville peeps will fully appreciate this, but today was Gerry House's last day on WSIX and it felt equal parts sad and epic. When I was in college, I had a 1 hour commute in the mornings and the race to get up and workout, get ready and out the door by 7 only to sit in the parking lot otherwise known as I-40, was somehow always redeemed by The House Foundation. I mean, it's no secret that I have a thing for older, somewhat cynical, somewhat sarcastic, maybe even a little grumpy & jaded men. But that radio show was more than just that. It was like the friend I didn't have in the passenger seat. Luckily, my schedule doesn't require me to sit in morning traffic like that anymore, but all the same, I will miss Gerry House. This was his final signing off...I'm so happy I happened to be driving at that moment.

343/365

I wish I could think of a more creative way to say: studio again. Today was a lesson in change, because to pull myself out of my comfortable, familiar studio routine and try something new was a long time coming and a hard trigger to pull. But, as usual, I was reminded of why change is good. Because if you never change all you'll ever know is all you already know. And as we were calmly recording one part at a time today, I was reminded that a) change is good and b) music should be fun. Not a free-for-all, 90 mph, race to the finish.

342/365

Oh, you know..just trying to figure out what the next chord is. Story of my life...

341/365

If I could sum this month up in one word (aside from Christmas, joy, family, music, cold, love, holidays) it would be 'studio'. The back half of this year has been so heavy on the writing that I am buried in songs that need to be recorded and I have alot of catching up to do even after the first of the year. It has truly been such a nice change of pace to not be writing everyday and to finally see some of this stuff come to life. Oh yeah, so THAT's why I've been writing all these songs....

340/365

I've been seeing these guys every morning for a few weeks on my drive into town. And it just makes me giggle. That's all. Santa's got a brand new bag..that's all.

339/365

Back at it. Thus begins the final week of writing for 2010.

338/365

You haven't lived until you've been to a small town wedding.

337/365

I know I've talked about them before, but I really did grow up with the GREATEST guys. And when I say great, I mean crazy, sharp, intelligent, hilarious, protective, tough. And the first one of our core group, Shiloh, got married this weekend. And his best man, twin brother, Tanner, had the place doubled over laughing at his toast.

All laughing aside, when Shiloh saw us in the receiving line he told Brenna that he was fine at the front of the church until he saw Brenna and me. And it was so funny, because that really got me at my wedding too. Looking out and seeing my peers. I guess this is a testament to the fact that we are more than friends. We are like sisters and brothers giving each other away to the loves of our lives. And this phase of our journey is so fun. I loved at one point during the reception looking down the table at 4 significant others of Sterling girls who were from totally different states laughing and talking like they'd been friends forever just like us.Time marches on....

336/365

She found herself in my iPhone. And not even chronic hiccups could make her look away. I wouldn't either if my face was that precious.

335/365

Morgan will forever have to say that her very 1st Christmas gift in her lifetime was from Aunty N.

334/365

Tonight was not a night of fashion or cosmetics. It was a night of sheer survival down at LP Field for the Titans game. Two weeks ago when the offer came to go to the game, it was 60 degrees. Little did I know that I'd be in full-on ski gear. Our poor Teetons lost their 6th game in a row.

333/365

The aftermath of a good Christmas party means no sleep and therefore shredded vocal cords. Needless to say, this was the fail of all failures in the studio.

332/365

I can't speak as to how this came to be, but I am here to confirm that it is legit. I am officially on ego-patrol.

331/365

You know you're in trouble when they start showing up in Santa Snuggies. And the night ends in a group rendition of "I Saw Todd Today". Oh dear...

330/365

You know you're sitting on something you're reeeeaalllll proud of when you won't let anyone actually hear the songs. We recorded what the world will not hear until next year tonight. It is going to be classic, I tell ya. Classic.

329/365

In reference to yesterday's post...this is what happens when you comp vocals for too long.

328/365

I have the upmost respect for anyone who has to bear the burden of comping vocals. Cause in my mind I believe it's more like a form of torture in other countries. The only redemption must be getting to spend some time with us :)

327/365

Considering that this is the only weekend I'm in Nashville this month, I opted to put the gift buying into overdrive. Let the giving begin!

P.S. Did I mention it snowed today? (cue: loud applause)

326/365

When you leave a party like this, you either: a) double up on the birth control, or b) want a baby real bad.

325/365

When Noah built the ark he brought not 1, but 2 of every animal. So when Hayes Tompkins turned 2 he incorporated his furry friends.

324/365

It's fun to be in the studio period. But to be in the studio with a Grammy award winning producer is even better. I think I can speak for many young female writers out there when I say that I have found that communication in sessions can be an uphill battle, especially when one's hair is blonde. The whole game changes when you have a respected producer translating what you hear in your head and making it come to life. This is my "get over it" song.

323/365

I won't reveal much of what this song is called or what it's about, but Michael Dulaney and I are so excited about what we just finished. It took 3 appointments over the course of a month. It should also be mentioned that according to my wedding ring compass, the cold weather has arrived...

322/365

As of 10:00 pm on December 2, Mistletoe 2.0 is completely written.

321/365

Today I walked into Target and bought a cd. And on that cd was a song I wrote. Grateful much? I remember the day we wrote this I met Betsy at Urban Flats afterward and I immediately said, "I think we just wrote something really special." (The clip at the end is from the day we wrote the song.)

320/365

I can neither confirm nor deny wether my co-writer was hungover or not today. Bless his heart.

319/365

Don't forget to fly.

318/365

Today I am rolling out one of my recent obsessions....the accordion. I have been dying to learn how to REALLY play and I have a ways to go, but the girl that's played keys her whole life feels right at home. A certain spouse seems to think I look silly. But the general concensus so far is that I'm hippie country gone mad. Which is a compliment in the greatest sense if you're me.

Anyway, the point. So I walked into my friend Marcus's house today to write and what should my wandering eyes should appear but a bright red accordian across the room! So of course we HAD to write a song with it. You just wait, I'm going to get better. And better. And then I'm gonna whip this thing out at the CMA's....errrr......baby steps, Nicolle. Baby steps.

317/365

Is it sad that I can't remember the last time we ate a meal at home? Yeah, we are those people.. What's even sadder is that I didn't make it.

316/365

Hellooooo Nashville skyline. You sure are beautiful. More than 2800 miles. 10 days. 11 states. 2 Thanksgivings. 15 miles a gallon. You do the math. It all adds up to....PRICELESS.