"Open Arms"

Pancakes make me happy. There is one problem though. I get so excited and stack them up high only to conquer a fourth of the food on the plate. They fill me up so fast, I want it to last longer! I have no real topic today, but instead, I'm going to use this time to update you, or the ones who care, on some little things going on in my life.

A. Every night I wake up to this horrible noise on my porch. The first time it happened, I thought it was someone breaking in. I grabbed my mase and almost peed in my pants until I looked out the window to find 4 cats chillin' on my patio furniture. The strangest part is that one of them was aggressively eating my charcoal from the grill. um, normal? So, now that they've found the motherload of ashes they come back every. night. How can I keep them away??
B. At the beginning of this year Mary Britton and I decided to participate in the Country Music Marathon here in Nashville. Well, I take that back, we decided to attempt to walk/run/jog the half marathon, which is 13.1 miles. I don't run thirteen miles often so this, my friends, is a challenge. So I've been "training" for two weeks now and it's actually going better than I expected. I've only gotten up to six miles but I'm
definitely making progress. The run is on April 24th so 12 wk training starts today! Pray for me. :)
C. I keep having dreams that T. Swift and I are really good friends. Last night we went riding around and talked about not liking
cats. She posts pictures of her cat on Twitter so I know for a fact that she has one, so I'm not sure why she said she didn't
like them. Why the crap am I dreaming about cats? Or Taylor Swift?
D. I was scheduled to do a benefit show for Nashville Heart & Soul where all the dinero goes to the American Heart Association. It was on Saturday night but the weather got so bad that I was snowed in! (They rescheduled.) The snow was beautiful. There's still a lot outside but the roads are clear now. Matthew and I didn't have a sled but improvised with tubberware for sledding. Being snowed in isn't half bad. We made lunch, tacos for dinner, a tent for the living room, videos for everyone back home and brownies. It was good weekend.
E. WHO DAT? Saints for the Superbowl!
F. I recently put some videos on YouTube. I've never wanted to do this until now. I decided that all the songs don't make it on the demo can still be videoed and put up for everyone to hear anyway. So if you have a chance, check them out, and let me know what you think.

That's all I can remember right now, I'm going to practice guitar. :)
"Love the life you live. Live the life you love."

PS. New songs for the iPod?
o Jason Aldean- The Truth (not new, but in love)
o Lady Antebellum- American Honey
o Miranda Lambert- The House That Built Me
o Justin Beiber- Baby
o Rascal Flatts- Unstoppable
o Daughtry- Life After You
o The Script- Breakeven
o Jason Derulo- Whatcha Say

"R.E.S.P.E.C.T"

I have to touch on a story that will be forever remembered and never forgotten. I'm taking time to express my opinion because the subject is not going away and this influenced me in a big way. 

You all saw it coming, the subject for today is no surprise: Taylor vs. Kanye

Let me just say first, if you are one of the 2% that haven't seen Kanye West slaughter Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for Female Video of The Year, take a look, then get back with us. 

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1621389/20090913/west_kanye.jhtml

I've never been the die-hard Taylor Swift fan, I admit. I listen to her on the radio, I think she's a great songwriter. Sometimes her vocals could stand a lesson or two during live performances but she's cute and I respect her. But I guarantee that I don't jump up and down on the couch when she's number one on CMT countdown. That said, I don't think anyone, ANYONE deserves to be belittled, pushed aside or interrupted during an awards show in Kanye-fashion. People are fans of different artists, that's the way it works. For the 10% of the world that didn't know Taylor or didn't like her before last night, they do now. I even have a soft spot in my heart that hurt when I watched that. Like Katy Perry said, "F*** you Kanye. It's like you stepped on a kitten." And it is. In Nashville, TN most of all, musicians are family. We stick together. Kanye West has stirred up a whole lot of trouble with the roughest, toughest, most countrified family on the block. Stars, celebs, fans, and family vented their rage via Twitter, etc. to convey their emotions. None were shocking, all were shocked, a lot of them wished they could punch him. 

Music is universal. You probably won't find one person who likes only country, only hip-hop, or only rock. We're humans, we hurt and music heals us. It was an honor for Taylor to be nominated in a category for the VMAs, it was an honor for her to win the category, and it is an honor to have her leading the pack for country music. You can't break down someone's spirit out of jealousy, it will only come back to haunt you. It seems funny that the person Kanye was defending, brought Swift back onstage to relive her 'moment'. Beyonce so gracefully gave Taylor a second chance to say her peace, and while doing so, TS got a standing ovation. So now, Kanye West, your fans and sales have decreased and Taylor Swift is still on top. I, personally, hope you feel an inch tall for a long time. You should probably delete the attempt at an apology you wrote because it was absolutely superficial and a new career might be a good thing to look into. Like I said, people in this industry stick together, and we are all banding together against you. You might still have your Jay Leno gig, but don't even think about stepping foot in Tennessee.