Tuesday’s Tunes: Hunter Hayes.

Tuesday’s Tunes: Sarah Darling.

Tuesday’s Tunes: Carrie Underwood

Sunday’s Song of Inspiration: Every Storm Runs Out of Rain.

Tuesday’s Tunes Special: The Kiss Country Guitar Jam.

Tonight, my mom and I are going to The Kiss Country Guitar Jam, which is a country concert that benefits Mission Children’s Hospital in Asheville. The concert will feature country artists Dustin Lynch, Craig Morgan, Randy Houser, and Matt Stillwell. Though this is the 5th year that Kiss Country and The Orange Peel have had this concert, this year is the first year that I am going, and I am so excited. I love country music more than anything, but I also know that this particular show is going towards the children in Mission Hospital who are sick, struggling, and just need something to make them smile.

Even though I didn’t go to Mission Children’s Hospital for all of my surgeries and intense physical therapy, I was born there. In some strange way, I feel a connection to all the kids who are there now. I feel like I can empathize since, a little over 20 years ago, I was a two pound one ounce baby in the NICU of Mission Children’s Hospital, using all the strength I could muster to simply survive.

So, to all the children currently in Mission Children’s Hospital who are fighting to see just one more day, tonight is for you. Tonight will serve as the reminder that we are thinking of you, though those thoughts may seem far away at times. It’s through kids like you that we know what it is to not simply survive, but thrive.

My heart is in Texas.

I haven’t been to Texas in a few years. However, over the past two weeks, I’ve been missing it more and more. Through loving Texas and North Carolina (which are two very, very different states), I’ve learned that it’s possible to feel like you belong in more places than just one. Yes, I absolutely love North Carolina. The mountains have allowed me to find a true happiness within myself that I didn’t know existed until recently. However, there is something about Texas that acts almost like a force of gravity. I don’t know if it’s the big Texas sky (which seems simple, but is one of the most incredible kinds of natural beauty I’ve found), the connection to my country roots, the amazing Texas bbq (which is so much better than southern bbq, at least in my opinion), the wildflowers in the spring, the amazing music scene or the huge sense of pride than those living in Texas seem to have for their home state. Either way, I absolutely love it, and every time that I’ve visited, it’s been harder and harder to leave.

 

 

 

An I’ll grab the wheel and point it west
Pack the good and leave the rest
I’ll drive until I find the missing piece
You said I wouldn’t get too far on a tank of gas
And an empty heart
But I have everything I’ll ever need
I got this old guitar and a brand new set of strings-Miranda Lambert

Tuesday’s Tunes: Kacey Musgraves.

This is the last Tuesday’s Tunes before NaNoWriMo begins on Thursday, so I thought I’d share a recent song that I heard on the radio that’s been stuck in my head recently. Enjoy! 🙂

Sunday’s song: goodbye in her eyes.

I’ll be spending the day today working on a research paper for my Community Psychology class, and when a huge research paper is present, that calls for good music, some breaks for food and coffee and a few sayings that will keep me motivated to keep plugging along.

Our greatest glory consists not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall.-Oliver Goldsmith

It’s incredibly cold in Asheville today, which makes it easier for me to stay inside and work since warmth is wonderful. However, that being said, I enjoyed my nice brisk walk a few hours ago. I don’t know what’s so perfect about cold weather here in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but I absolutely love it. Maybe because it reminds me of coffee, hot chocolate, fall weather, and feeling genuinely happy with where I live. However, no matter what season it is, I am normally able to come up with numerous reasons why I love living in Asheville. When you reach that point, in which you can’t even find anything to complain about regarding the place you live, I feel like you’ve found where you belong. I know that I have.

Despite wishing I could take a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway today to fully enjoy the scenery I love, I know that I need to write, write, write, write (my research paper, that is). It’ll be such an amazing feeling once I’m able to turn it in a few weeks from now so that I can have it behind me. For now though, I’ve got to keep on pushing through, and what better way to get some motivation than by listening to the Zac Brown Band.

Tuesday’s Tunes: Taylor Swift.

I absolutely love Taylor Swift, which is one of the things that actually shows my age. However, I’m totally okay with that because I realize that I love Taylor Swift because she’s a typical teenage girl who’s growing up. Therefore, I’m able to relate to her songs (as can every other girl in America who has loved Taylor from the beginning).

People have said that Taylor’s most recent album Red (which was released yesterday) shows how much she has matured in the last few years, especially when you compare the most recent album to the Fearless album (her first album). I completely agree that Taylor has definitely matured. As Taylor has matured, so have the girls (including me) who have loved her since her first album. Therefore, we still love her because we’re able to relate to her even though we’re changing and growing up.

Anyway, as usual, I’m able to relate to pretty much every song on her newest album. However, the song “All Too Well” seems to perfectly describe my current situation regarding love (or the lack thereof) at the moment. Either way, despite the fact that it’s a sad song, I love it because I’m able to put my own situation side by side with what Taylor is saying. As with many other situations in life regarding strong emotions, they are much easier to get through once you realize that there are others who are going through the same thing. Therefore, thank you Taylor. You have helped me (and so many other girls who love you) through some of the hardest times.

Tuesday’s Tunes: Kip Moore.