Moments
Story Of My Life: The New Normal
Page 5
This week was definitely a week filled with "Pinch me, I must be dreaming" moments. Moments that made me take a step back and just take a second and breathe in what was happening. The first moment that this happened was on Monday, the 17th. I woke up and got ready just like every other day and started to head to my write for the day. On the way there, my mom and I were listening to the radio and talking about the usual things we talk about every morning... What are we going to eat tonight for dinner? My mom and I LOVE trying new things. The restaurants here in Nashville are incredible and there are so many of them! It would be impossible to try all of them, but sifting through which ones we want to try and adding it to our bucket list is genuinely something we love to do! I was googling our options for that night and I looked up and we were driving on the same street that we have always driven on to get to town, but something about today felt different. I passed the same "Congratulations" signs for all the awesome writers from those companies that have received awards recently and then I noticed something... A few of those faces on the posters I recognized. They were people that I have had a chance to write with, and then it hit me - how in the world was I lucky enough to meet them or even spend time with them and exchange thoughts and combine our emotions together to create a song? It put a smile on my face because now instead of thinking "That is so cool! I love that song!" every time I pass these posters; I get a strange feeling as if I am cheering on a friend! Now I think "Ahhh I am so happy for them! I want to send them a plate of cookies!". I feel as though I have a friend in them; a personal connection and mutual passion, and that is something to be grateful for. After being deep in thought, I got to go write a song with Kamryn Person! She is a younger writer, like myself! It was so much fun to write a song with someone around my age because we got to bond on a different level. We got to discuss in deeper detail about all the things that teenage girls usually talk about, which made the song come from a perspective I hadn't reached yet. It was more blunt. She is super talented, nice, and charismatic. I adored her. Not only did I find a new songwriting buddy, I also found a new friend!
The next day I got the chance to spend the whole day with one of my favorite people, Lizzy McAvoy. She is one of those people that lights up a room when she walks in and is always positive. She can put a smile on anyone's face and bring sunshine to any rainy day! She introduced me to Sam Ellis that day too and we got the chance to all sit down and write a song that has real punch to it! This day was amazing because it was filled with so many firsts for me! I got to write IN Universal Music! Which was unreal! The people who work there are so genuine and have always been so nice to me! I love the feeling you get when you are there! Pure happiness! The song we wrote was a generational song... IT ROCKS! I am super excited about it. It was a song that made me want to dance around the room or drive really fast down a back road while listening to it (if I could drive) ! In the middle of the write, they took me to an AMAZING restaurant with the best Indian food EVER! I had never tried Indian food before, and sharing this experience with these two talented, lovely people was the best way! I am now a fan of this newly found comfort food. After we were done stuffing our faces, we finished a great song! We did it even in a food coma!
Page 5
This week was definitely a week filled with "Pinch me, I must be dreaming" moments. Moments that made me take a step back and just take a second and breathe in what was happening. The first moment that this happened was on Monday, the 17th. I woke up and got ready just like every other day and started to head to my write for the day. On the way there, my mom and I were listening to the radio and talking about the usual things we talk about every morning... What are we going to eat tonight for dinner? My mom and I LOVE trying new things. The restaurants here in Nashville are incredible and there are so many of them! It would be impossible to try all of them, but sifting through which ones we want to try and adding it to our bucket list is genuinely something we love to do! I was googling our options for that night and I looked up and we were driving on the same street that we have always driven on to get to town, but something about today felt different. I passed the same "Congratulations" signs for all the awesome writers from those companies that have received awards recently and then I noticed something... A few of those faces on the posters I recognized. They were people that I have had a chance to write with, and then it hit me - how in the world was I lucky enough to meet them or even spend time with them and exchange thoughts and combine our emotions together to create a song? It put a smile on my face because now instead of thinking "That is so cool! I love that song!" every time I pass these posters; I get a strange feeling as if I am cheering on a friend! Now I think "Ahhh I am so happy for them! I want to send them a plate of cookies!". I feel as though I have a friend in them; a personal connection and mutual passion, and that is something to be grateful for. After being deep in thought, I got to go write a song with Kamryn Person! She is a younger writer, like myself! It was so much fun to write a song with someone around my age because we got to bond on a different level. We got to discuss in deeper detail about all the things that teenage girls usually talk about, which made the song come from a perspective I hadn't reached yet. It was more blunt. She is super talented, nice, and charismatic. I adored her. Not only did I find a new songwriting buddy, I also found a new friend!
The next day I got the chance to spend the whole day with one of my favorite people, Lizzy McAvoy. She is one of those people that lights up a room when she walks in and is always positive. She can put a smile on anyone's face and bring sunshine to any rainy day! She introduced me to Sam Ellis that day too and we got the chance to all sit down and write a song that has real punch to it! This day was amazing because it was filled with so many firsts for me! I got to write IN Universal Music! Which was unreal! The people who work there are so genuine and have always been so nice to me! I love the feeling you get when you are there! Pure happiness! The song we wrote was a generational song... IT ROCKS! I am super excited about it. It was a song that made me want to dance around the room or drive really fast down a back road while listening to it (if I could drive) ! In the middle of the write, they took me to an AMAZING restaurant with the best Indian food EVER! I had never tried Indian food before, and sharing this experience with these two talented, lovely people was the best way! I am now a fan of this newly found comfort food. After we were done stuffing our faces, we finished a great song! We did it even in a food coma!
The next night was literally unforgettable. On Wednesday, the 19th I got to have my first experience at CRS with BMLG! I felt like I was in my own personal music fantasy! The whole day of, my mom and I spent getting ready and jamming out to music! We knew we had to get there early because it was going to be a filled parking lot and we wanted to make sure to have a spot! Well...when we got there, we didn't realize there was going to be valet. You would think that this would be a GREAT thing, and it was; but when you see all of these beautiful, shiny cars being valeted and then you roll up in your mini-van - it can make you a little embarrassed! I feel bad for the poor guy that valeted our mini van and missed the black range rover behind us.
When we walked into the venue, there were huge posters of the artist hanging up down the hallway as you entered! I was so enamored by all of the beautiful pictures of each artist that I didn't even notice mine! Wait what? YES!!! My picture was hanging there! When I heard that it was hanging there, of course I had to run back and look at it, scream, and then take a picture with it! I had so many mixed emotions when I saw this. At first I was in shock and I couldn't stop freaking out! My cheeks were hurting from smiling so big! My next feeling stemmed from looking around me. I felt shock, but mostly so lucky. My picture was hanging in the same hallway as people who I have looked up to for so many years. This was the first moment of many in this night, but this was also the moment that took my breath away.
When I proceeded to walk in, the next thing I noticed was another "OMG" moment for me. The room was filled with mini tables. Each table had a different artists picture on it. I was looking at all of them and then someone pointed out the table in front of me that I hadn't noticed yet. It was a table with MY picture on it. Once again...WHAT! I about died. Plus, it was right next to the food table which is perfect! They know me so well.
After staring at this and about falling over from excitement, I decided to walk around and explore the rest of the room. I mostly did this so I would know where the bathroom was. I just know that when the room started to fill up a bit more that I would get lost if I didn't find where it was before more people got there! On my little adventure, I ran a group of people crowded around something. I didn't really know why they were standing there, but I wanted to find out. I started to walk up to the front of the group and when I reached there they asked me if they could take a picture of me for their insta-cam! WOAH! Ummm... Is that even a question? HECK YES!!!!
Later as the night went on, it just got better and better. I got to watch talent after talent get up on stage and perform. It was amazing to watch everyone in their element! The line up was incredible - The Band Perry, Danielle Bradbery, Justin Moore, Motley Crue, and Brantley Gilbert! WOW! Talk about an incredible show. All of them were perfection and so fun to watch. It was so great to watch all of them. My most favorite of the night was The Band Perry. They didn't just sing; they put on a SHOW! It was one of those performances that afterwards you had to sit back and really let what you just witnessed settle in. It was INCREDIBLE. They are not only talented beyond words; they are performers and hard workers. You could feel the passion oozing from every song they sang. I don't know how to describe the feeling completely, but they just made you want to clap and dance to every song they did! I have always looked up to them, but to watch them in such a close proximity was so eye opening. I am still in awe of them. I took many mental notes! I hope that one day I get to give the same feeling that I felt watching them, to a crowd of people I am singing in front of.
To say the least, BMLG really knows how to put together an amazing night. I have never felt so special and had so much fun! It was absolutely perfect. I got to meet so many wonderful people and make new memories that I won't forget. This was an amazing way to experience CRS for the first time. The theme of the night was #BMLGEXPERIENCE. It really was a whole different kind of experience to be there. One that I hope I am lucky enough to witness again.
There is a quote I found the other day that completely sums up my past week here in Nashville...
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but about the moments that take our breath away."
This week was definitely filled with moments that took my breath away. Moments that made me realize once again how blessed I am to be living the life I am living! It is still so surreal to me that this is my new normal. This is the life that I get to live every single day and I am so happy. I can not wait for my next adventure. I don't know how it is going to beat this night, but I can't wait to see what does!
Until next time...
There is a quote I found the other day that completely sums up my past week here in Nashville...
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but about the moments that take our breath away."
This week was definitely filled with moments that took my breath away. Moments that made me realize once again how blessed I am to be living the life I am living! It is still so surreal to me that this is my new normal. This is the life that I get to live every single day and I am so happy. I can not wait for my next adventure. I don't know how it is going to beat this night, but I can't wait to see what does!
Until next time...