Here’s another installment of YouBlog- where I introduce you to one of your fellow blogmies. Remember the goal is to get to know each other! Many of you readers/commenters were born to be friends- I just know it. And I’m out to prove it!

I’m way excited to introduce you to my friend BJ Hamrick. BJ is an author and we share the same literary agent. Which is actually super fun- cause it’s like we play on the same team. I love it.

BJ is a great writer and a funny writer. So if you are looking for some added humor in your life, this may be the blog you’ve been waiting to find.

My favorite post, though, is titled Big Dreams. I love hearing other authors (that are also my friends) talk about when God birthed dreams in their hearts. Very very cool.

So go see BJ and give her a big hug for me! Love that girl.

Hope you have enjoyed YouBlogs! We are booked up here until the end of 2009. So if you wanna be featured, hang on and another chance will come around in 2010!

I’m excited to participate with my buddies over at YLCF.org as many ladies talk today about their normal everyday life.

Let me give you a short, but important, list of disclaimers:

• Just because I live in Nashville does not mean I hang out with country stars everyday [though Reba will not. quit. calling. Yes, Reba, we can grab coffee tomorrow. Sheesh.]
• I don’t have a real job. I have eight [that's not a typo] part-time jobs. So no two days look alike.
• The rules say you can’t fudge on your day. So I won’t. But…. I’m going to tell you I get up every morning at 8am. [Imagine an exaggerated wink after that. And pray that God forgives me for lying.]

So, with no further ado, here’s a peek into Annie’s [not so] normal Nashville day:

8am: Get up. [wink] I usually putz around the house for an hour or so- shower, wash my hair everyday [which I know is bad but quit judging me], eat breakfast, try to read the Bible, pray, journal, etc.

10am-12pm: Write. Either pitching articles, working on a personal writing project, doing freelance work, etc. This is NOT the time that I write for my blog or respond to blog comments.

12pm: Eat a healthy lunch at home [wink] or go out to eat with friends. Usually Baja Burrito. We heart that place mucho.

Afternoon: Options: nanny for this guy’s kids, work at Mocha Club, work on writing things at Frothy Monkey. If the writing option is the winner, this is when I usually respond to emails, work on the biz-nass side of being an author- building platform, connecting with other authors, brainstorming new books, etc.

5pm: Leave nanny/Mocha Club/etc. and go tutor. Usually only 3 times a week. I tutor an 8th grade dude in math and ORGANIZATION GOOD GRAVY and I tutor an 11th grade girl that is as darlin’ as the day is long in pre-calculus. Which is a subject I am very good at. [wink]

6pm: Go home and watch TV [dealing with the massive amount of Bravo on my DVR] or read on my back porch or hang out with friends. This is NO COMPUTER TIME.

7pm: Eat dinner, usually with friends. Cause I like my people. Other options: church small group, a show to hear some cool new musician, hang out on someone’s porch and listen as boys play guitars, sit around and talk. Whatevs.

10pm: Try to be home. [wink] And this is when I write my blog post for the next day [Am I breaking your heart that I don't actually write Wednesday's post on WEDNESDAY? Sorry bout it.] and respond to emails.

Midnight+: I’m great at working late at night. So I sometimes write- this is when I work on stuff that no one is going to see for a long time. Future books, crazy blog posts, creative ideas, things that I sometimes read the next day and say, “WOW. I need to delete that. Embarrassing, Annie, embarrassing.”

Sleep comes at some point, which is why that 8am is negotiable. But only after I drink a small glass of orange juice [horrible for my body, I know] and put on socks.

Don’t judge me. My feet get very cold.

And that’s my day.

No one paid me to say this. In fact, I wish I could tell you that I knew the author of this book, Leif Enger, and he had asked me personally to blog about his first novel. I wanna know him. Leif, if this blog post pops up on your google alerts, hi. My name is Annie. I have just returned from swimming in the sea of your novel for the last few weeks and I absolutely adored it. Can we grab coffee sometime when you are in Nashville? I think I’m bound to be a better writer if we sit at the same table for a few minutes.

Our book club just finished reading Peace Like a River. And I guess my intro letter to author Leif Enger kinda spoiled the tension of wondering how I felt about the book.

Amazing. Deep. Thought provoking. Funny. Heartbreaking. Heartwarming. Beautiful.

I checked it out of the library. But I am going to buy a copy. THAT is the AnnieBlogs2009 stamp of approval. You get my money? You win. Congrats.

I’m not going to give you the back cover copy- I didn’t love it [no offense, Leif. I bet you didn't write that part].

The book is told from an 11 year old boy’s point of view- about his family and that one time his brother killed two other boys. It’s full of tragedy, miracles, prayer, asthma, an airstream trailer, murder, Westerns, outlaws, good food, love, and the spunkiest little girl I could ever have the pleasure of meeting.

I could see this book in my mind. Every scene, every page, is written with such precision and grace that it shows details without being pushy. The bad guys are REALLY bad. The good guys are DEEPLY good. The bad guys who end up being the good guys? You never see it coming. The ageless wisdom and responsibility of Swede, the daughter, is admirable and heartbreaking at the same time.

And throughout is a poem. A cowboy poem. You know the kind. The kind of poem that makes you feel like the bad guy is surely going to prevail and the good cowboy may not have enough time to rescue the girl before the campfire goes out. And that poem, woven from start to finish, stole my heart. My secretly-in-love-with-the-wild-west heart.

So there you go- I just had to tell you about it. I mean, what good is a blogista if she doesn’t give you reading recommendations?

So if you are looking for some fall reading, I vote Peace Like a River. I loved it.

Have any of y’all already read it?

My dear friend Graham gave me a robe for my birthday.

This isn’t your average robe. It’s from a really nice store.

It’s made of angel wings and lamb sneezes.

[Not really. But it is mucho soft.]

It may be one of the nicer things I own in my life.

Or at least I treat it as such.

I only wear it when I have time to really enjoy it. When I know I get to spend my morning at a slower pace. Though I look at it every day and actually sometimes wake up extra early just to make sure I have some robe time.

Maybe that’s weird. I dunno…..

It never Never NEVER hits the floor. I always hang it back up right where it should go. It’s possibly [and my roomie can confirm this] the only object that actually gets put in its place every. single. time.

It’s just so nice. It’s so beautiful and soft and a real treasure. I don’t want to spoil it or ruin it or leave it on the floor. I want to do all that I can to keep it in the best condition possible.

As I was drinking my chai on Saturday, dressed all warm and cozy in my pajamas and robe, I had a realization.

I treat my robe better than I treat my own body.

Better than I treat many of my possessions.

Better than I treat some of my friends.

And now, as I see the robe hanging on the back of my bedroom door, I stare at it and wonder why those statements are true.

So a few weeks ago was this amazingly fun thing called “Next Big Nashville” and pretty much, for about four days, a TON of local Nashville acts strut their stuff all over the stages of Nashville.

And Marisa luckily won 2 wristbands and let me borrow one a few times! Proof, you say? Fine.

So I got to see a lot of shows. And bizarrely, some other shows I planned on attending all fell within the same 2 week window.

Matt and Rob

I decided, for your weekend, that I would list all the musicians that I got to see.And I’ve linked you to their MySpace page, so you can listen for free before purchasing anything. Or attending a show. Which you should do both. And they are in no particular order except the order in which I attended the shows.

And of course, I’m giving you some commentary and photos along the way because Hi. My name is Annie. I tend to overexplain.

- Ten out of Tenn [So fascinating to me. Wrote about it last year too.]

- Steve Moakler [Have mercy this is a talented dude.]

- Rob Blackledge (with Matt Wertz) [Love these jokers.]

- Ben Rector [His voice reminds me of the ocean. Strong. Steady. Calming. I dig.]

- Stephanie Lambring [I heard her sing the song "Lonely To Alone" on our friend's front porch and it stopped my mind and heart. Absolutely stunningly written.]

The Civil Wars

- Parker Welling [Also a front porch performance. Amazing.]

- Madi Diaz [Possibly the lucky find of the week. Though everyone else here already listens to her, this was my first exposure and I. Am. Hooked.]

- Civil Wars [Love them. Big time. Also, you can download their album for FREE if you scurry over there.]

- Alison Krauss

- Mary Chapin Carpenter [She was my JAM in middle school and it was a serious highlight to hear her, though she sang mostly new stuff that didn't do too much for me.]

- Alternate Routes [Duh. As Marisa would tell you, I made the decision that this was my favorite band and they did not disappoint.]

- Mat Kearney [I've listened to his new album over 25 times. STRAIGHT THROUGH. So I went into it already happy cause I love the new stuff. And the live show was insanely good.]

- Keith Urban [One of the greatest concerts I've ever attended.]

- Lady Antebellum [Their new song "Need You Now"? It. Is. Good.]

- Taylor Swift

- Brad Paisley

- Vince Gill [Seeing Vince Gill perform is probably a highlight of my Nash-life.]

- Little Big Town

- Dierks Bentley

- Jason Aldean

Sorry. I ran out of things to say there at the end. I mean, how many times do you want to read “I think that singer is great”?

So happy weekend. Hope you enjoy hearing some of this local Nashville talent. It’s probably going to want to make you move here.

Or… at least come visit.

Here’s another installment of YouBlog- where I introduce you to one of your fellow blogmies. Remember the goal is to get to know each other! Many of you readers/commenters were born to be friends- I just know it. And I’m out to prove it!

Something funny happened this week when I was preparing to feature Brooke’s blog.

I couldn’t decide which post I liked the best.

So sweet Brooke is going to have to deal with me throwing away some imaginary rule about only featuring one post. Cause I’m sending you to two posts.

First of all, I absolutely love the honesty in Brooke’s post titled What I Am. It made me feel like standing up out of my chair and saying, “YES!”. I know that’s kinda weird.

Here’s Brooke’s second post- called The Elijah Prayer. Brooke is putting a call out there to you mamas to be praying for your husbands as they try to be Godly fathers. Though I can only pray symbolically, I think what she has to say is AMAZING and those of you who are raising a family should jump on board!

So enjoy Brooke’s world over there. And tell her I said hi ya!

Hope you have enjoyed YouBlogs! We are booked up here until the end of 2009. So if you wanna be featured, hang on and another chance will come around in 2010!

And you can help them!

Meet Phil and Sonnie. Cute, right?

I know. I adore them.

But check this out. Here is their boy Rock. Yep, you heard me. They named their son Rock. Cause folks in Nashville roll like that. [Rock. Roll. I like.]

Seriously. It makes me laugh out loud Every. Time. I look at this picture.

And now Rock is in a little cute baby competition and the winner gets a stroller. Apparently a pretty fancy stroller- I have no idea. I think a grocery cart is a fancy stroller, so I am no judge.

But you can help Rock win!

Basically you just go to the picture of sweet little Rock and all you have to do is like it (thumbs up!). The bambino with the most “likes” wins.

Look for this picture (or click the picture and it will send you straight to voting):

Andy just said, “It’s so simple. You go to this picture. You click ‘like’. Done.”

He’s a man of many words, except when it comes to winning baby carrying devices.

So there’s one quick and easy way to bring some sunshine [and new wheels] to a family I love. So please go vote!

And seriously. Why wouldn’t you? That is a humorous costume.

Or a humerus costume.

[You're welcome.]

A DOG.

I know. It was a magical combination between totally bizarro and totally awesome.

Because it was just like a baby shower. Minus the baby. Plus a dog.

A cute dog. Named Murphy.

And here’s another fact: Doggy has 2 mommies- Graham and her roomie. And it was a surprise for Mommy #2 (Roomie) and Murphy. The dog.

So I attended a surprise dog shower.

I know. Hilarious. And just in case you can’t tell, that sign says “IT’S A BOY!”

Have. You. Ever.

And here is the food- mostly puppy related. Dog bone shaped cookies, puppy chow, and dogs in a blanket. [Also known as pigs in a blanket, but we're saving that for the piglet shower we're throwing next week.]

And of course, what baby puppy shower is complete without the gifts?

Here’s Murphy with our friend Craig. That’s really cute. But Murphy, it is no replacement for writing thank you notes. Just cause you are a dog doesn’t mean you don’t have to follow etiquette. You are a southern puppy and you will write thank you notes.

Adam was just checking the iPaw, I guess, to make sure the music was appropriate for Murphy. He’s young. We have to censor what goes into his little mind.

If you know how much I love puns, then you know that the “iPaw” kept me in stitches.

As did the “Chewy Vuiton” plush toy purse.

And the stuffed high heel?

“Manolo Barknik.”

That. Is. Funny.

See, I need to give you the back story before I give you the highlight. Sorry bout it.

In the fall of 2000, some friends and I took a trip to Boston. It was, and is still, one of my favorite college years memories. And we found a bakery. A bakery that, I’ll be honest, I fell in love with.

Said bakery? Mike’s Pastry. Not the most awesome website in the world, but they never claimed to be internet nerds. They are bakers. Give ‘em a break.

I don’t know what it was about Mike’s. Maybe it was Mike, maybe it was the crisp fall air, maybe it was the blue and white decor, maybe it was Little Italy that just stole my heart. Or maybe it was just the idea that me and a handful of my college buddies had actually been crazy enough to fly up there and spend our fall break and we were going wherever we wanted because HELLO we were 20 years old and mature and no one was the boss of us.

Something about Mike’s stuck with me. [In my heart and on my thighs and you are welcome for that.] And as a better Annie says, Boston is a city I like to crush on.

So last week, when my friend Molly was telling me that she was headed north, I said, with more enthusiasm than one healthy minded adult should have towards a bakery, that she must Must MUST go to Mike’s. I then continued to share with her minute and ridiculous details of my two trips to Boston and how, because I’m just not right in the head, I had paid a taxi driver to stop by Mike’s on the way to the airport last time I visited.

People. I am addicted to sugar. Deal with it.

Fast forward to Wednesday night, say around 6:15pm. I’m watching DVRed episodes of Flipping Out [duh] when I hear footsteps on my back porch.

Lo and behold, this arrived at my door. “This” being “Molly with a blue and white box.”

Are you seeing what I saw?? Sweet Molly and her travel worn box from Mike’s. It could have brought tears to my eyes. But it didn’t. If I cry over pastry, then we have proof that I take dessert too. seriously.

Truly, is that not the kindest thing? That Molly took time to bring me a cannoli? FROM MIKE’S PASTRY??

Three cheers for Molly loving me enough to get stopped and questioned by airport security for smuggling baked goods below the Mason Dixon line.

I’m not showing you the other end of the cannoli because it is absolutely none of your business how much I had already eaten at the time of the photo shoot nor is it important whether there is any cannoli left in my life.

But THAT was the highlight of my Wednesday night.

[Insert polite curtsy here.]

And good day to you.

Here’s another Wednesday installment of YouBlog- where I introduce you to one of your fellow blogmies. Remember the goal is to get to know each other! Many of you readers/commenters were born to be friends- I just know it. And I’m out to prove it!

I’m super excited to introduce you to Bindu. How bout these adventurously photo-ed girls of the last few weeks?

Bindu and I are about the same age and she did an really cool post recently, writing a letter to her 20-year old self. I think it’s really smart and beneficial to reflect this way. So currently I’m writing a letter to my four year old self.

I kid.

Anyways, head over to Bindu’s corner of the world and see what all she writes about. She’s fun to read and has a sweet and Godly perspective on life. She has a cool list “101 in 1001 days” that I LOVE reading and checking out each time I hop over there.

Here’s something else I think you’ll like about Bindu. She wanted to be a You-Blogger for a while and FINALLY sent me an email. I, of course, jumped on the opportunity to feature her. I can think of a couple of you out there probably really will love Bindu’s blog and be glad that she volunteered. I know I am.

Hope you have enjoyed YouBlogs! We are booked up here until the end of 2009. So if you wanna be featured, hang on and another chance will come around in 2010!