A Baby Changes Everything

I was thinking about these words this morning from Faith Hill's song, "A Baby Changes Everything."

My whole life has turned around
I was lost, but now I'm found
A baby changes everything

As Christmas gets closer, I'm just grateful to look at my life and how a baby has changed everything. Jesus lived his life for me and you. Because of Him, my entire life has been turned around. I keep going because no matter what happens, His hope, His atonement, and His resurrection are real.

Why I Believe

My talented friend, Seth Adam Smith, just finished this video for my song, "Why I Believe." This is the message I want to share with the whole world.

I know that Christ lives. I know that He is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. I know that because He died for all of us, I can repent of my sins and become more like Him. He is why there is always hope. No matter how we've grown up, no matter what we’ve done in the past, and no matter where we are right now, through Christ, we can change and become new - not just once or twice, but every single day. I have seen and felt that in my life, and it is real. And can I just tell you, it’s worth everything! I know that following our Savior brings true peace and lasting happiness.

Many thanks to Liz Lemon Swindle for letting us use her beautiful artwork in this video, to Seth for sharing his incredible talents, and to Phil Goodwin for the original cinematography. And thank you for letting me share this with you. Please share it with your friends and family.

Meeting two of my musical heroes

My dear friend, Kimberly, and I went to JFEST in Chattanooga, TN.

We got to meet two of my FAVORITE singer/songwriters ever...it was one of my dreams to meet these two women and I'm SO grateful I got to.

We met Britt Nicole - this girl has a heart of gold and one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard.

Also met Natalie Grant. I love how her music is to glorify God and help others remember His love.

Britt and Natalie aren't just musical heroes but they're heroes to me because they use their talents to share God's love and to lift other people. That's what I want to do, what I'm trying to do with the music I write and share.

Here's my favorite Britt Nicole song that has really strengthened me, "Walk On The Water." It's one of my top five songs ever ever. Take a listen.

Roadtrippin' to Nashville

Au revoir Montana! I'll miss you!

2,000 miles from Hamilton, MT to Nashville, TN. Who better to drive it with than my Momma?!

Hot dawg! We're going to Nashville!

First gotta make a couple stops along the way to see....

.....this beautiful cloud.

Ta da! The cloud decided to move. It's actually Mt. Rushmore! Thank you clouds for moving. (What are those little men doing up there? I wanna stand on Thomas Jefferson's head!) The carving started in 1927 and they finished in 1941.

Yay Momma for driving across the country with me. What a Mom I have. :) Love you Momma.

So important to remember.

We visited Liberty Jail in Independence, Missouri.

Liberty Jail is where the Prophet Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Alexander McCrae, Lyman Wight and Caleb Baldwin were imprisoned for four months - from Dec. 1, 1838 to April 16, 1839. They were unjustly charged with treason to the state of Missouri.

It's crazy the conditions they were in - it was an extremely cold winter, their food was often poisoned, they had a bucket to go to the bathroom, hard floor to sleep on, and they couldn't even stand up straight - the ceiling wasn't high enough. But I love this quote that was on a pamphlet I got there.

"We remember Liberty Jail not as a place of suffering, but as a sacred spot where faith was tested and found sufficient. A place where the voice of God was heard again as He spoke to a living prophet. A place where revelation was given for all mankind."

I love that. Faith in God is sufficient for anything.

It makes me think of Hebrews 6:12: "Be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

Fur coat, Shakespeare Man and Golden Headband

Saw this band play last week. No words needed.

Best and truest rap I've ever heard

Flashbacks from the past

My parents raised me on country music. And you know what? I love it.

Reba, Trisha, Garth, George, Billy….I love em. I grew up with my parents taking me to Reba and Garth concerts. I'd get the Reba t-shirt (I was like five years old so the smallest size they had drowned me. So Reba shirts were my night gowns). I did go through a rebellious stage though in 6^th grade where I thought country wasn’t cool so I denied that I never really liked it. But everyone has those rebellious stages, eh? ha!

Why do I love country music? Well…I’ll let this video tell you why.



Besides the classic mullet...it’s just fun! It can say “You can tell your dog to bite my leg.” And hello! You can line dance to it! Yeehaw!


Now I do have to have a disclaimer, I don’t love ALL country…but there’s a lot of awesome country music out there.

Btw, there’s a sweet country concert and dance Thursday, March 25^th at the Loft with Nashville Star top 12 finalist Charley Jenkins and Hollywood American Idol finalist Anna Kaelin. If you're a country music fan or just love to dance, you don't want to miss this! Tickets are normally $7 each and sold at 24tix.com. Hopefully see you there!

Want to smile? Watch this.

I promise it's worth the 16 1/2 min to watch this.

Isn't it cool how when someone gives you a sincere compliment or just smiles at you, it's hard not to smile? We can do that for someone.

Try it. Even if it's something you're not used to doing, even if you think it's "fake" at first. The world needs more smiles.

And YOU have a beautiful smile.

Food for the Brain

Here are three interesting things I learned in my classes today:

1) We got the "Star Spangled Banner" tune from a drinking song... interesting, huh?

2) If you listened to songs like this ("Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin) in 1899 you'd probably feel guilty cuz it was more edgy than anything else at that time...which is just crazy to me! This music is completely innocent. Compare this to the music people are listening to a hundred years later...I wish we could go back to the innocence in popular music today.



3) Dvorak's New World Symphony is the tune to one of my favorite French cantiques, "Souviens-toi, mon enfant." I love that melody, and the French words are beautiful.

School is cool. Just wanted to share with you some of the interesting things I learned today. Hope you feel super duper smart! :)

I love guacamole... but I love this more...

I Believe

This is one of my favorite songs ever, put together with a beautiful video. Definitely worth the five minutes and 16 seconds to watch. "I Believe" by Natalie Grant.