"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

"Break Down Here"

I woke up January 2nd at 8am for the Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual Sale. The biggest sale of all time (to women, of course). Underwear for $3? Don't mind if i do. I pulled a smart move and decided to heat up the car before we headed out. In midst of the 17 degree weather and my running to make it there faster, I missed the important fact that my entire parking lot was covered in ice. On a hill. And here I go. In a flash, I could see my legs flying up over my head, the sky blue, and the ground a few feet under me that I was guaranteed to hit in 3.. 2.. 1.. I landed on my backside. Next to hit was my elbow. I sat there and scanned the area to make sure no one saw my acrobatics. In a usually busy parking lot, not a soul in sight and not a soul saw me. I picked myself up, brushed off the icy dust, and tried again. And in the midst of all this commotion I hadn't seen it.. the beautiful snow falling around me.

In 2010, as with previous years, I have made 'resolutions' that seem more like 'bad decisions' after 2 months of not sticking with it. But this year's resolution is different. This year, quitting a bad habit, gaining money, and losing weight are not the priorities on my list. Sure, it would be nice to check these things off, but this year, I'm looking at the big picture. The whole year. I have prepared myself for a long road ahead that includes hard work, determination, and eliminating the option of ever giving up. My uncle Mitch never gave up.. so I'm following his lead. There will come a time when I might climb the ladder of this music industry and get knocked down on my backside, and land on more than my elbow but I will pick myself up, and try again. I will try, and try, and try, until I'm standing up and see the beautiful things falling around me. (And if you keep God in the picture, He will make sure that when you fall, no one sees you make an idiot out of yourself.) There is a grand possibility that I might get my heartbroken. There is a definite possibility that I will hear the word 'no'. But through all of this lies the beauty of something great, and the reasoning of why I am here.

Now, what I didn't tell you is that my butt is bruised, my tailbone is sore, and my elbow is cut up. After living here for only six months now, I can tell that I will have many more ailments. Some due to icy weather that I'm not used to, and some due to the musical politics of this city. "Everybody's your friend, you can never be sure", sings Sugarland. You can chase a dream but you can't get lost in it. You must keep your faith, your family, and your gut feelings close by. But throw the fear out the window. During this journey, whether it takes me 10 months or 10 years, I will come out of this with a few bumps and bruises, inside and out, but all for a reason.

Here I come 2010.

"No matter how dark the moment, hope and love are always possible."

Happy NEW year everyone! xo, Meagan Rae