My friend Annie introduced me to the Bluebird Cafe in 2008. To this day, it is one of the greatest gifts she has ever given me.

I go as often as possible. If you don’t know about the Bluebird, it is easy to explain. Artists in Nashville play at the venues around town. Songwriters in Nashville play at the Bluebird.

So last week, Laura, Marisa, Brooke and I headed down to hear some amazing songwriters. And, as sick-in-the-brain as this is, I thought, “I totally should blog about these dudes cause I’m not sure I have before.”

[As Keith Urban says, "...cause you're always in my heart, you're always on my mind..."]

All four of these boys are great writers and I think you will LOVE what they do.

Here’s the setup- the songwriters sit in the round and for about 2 hours, they each play songs that they have written.

We got to hear

- Andrew Ripp. His voice is INSANE and he writes beautiful stuff. I love getting to hear him live. You should try to do the same.

Steve Moakler

- Steve Moakler. Steve’s a young guy, but he writes some fierce music. He’s one of those artists that sounds EXACTLY the same live, if not better, than he does on his records. Living in a city full of well produced artists, it is refreshing when people are just.plain.talented.

- Cary Barlowe. I bet you know his music. He’s written some big deal country songs, lots of stuff from Toby Mac. It was one of those surprising times at Bluebird where every time it was his turn, I recognized his music. I was happy. A happy happy girl.

Last but not least is a good friend of mine, Shane Stevens. You may recognize him as “the man who made me gorgie-poo at the Grammys.”

He said my hair was JUST like Sarah Jessica Parker’s hair and on that day, in that moment, he won my allegiance forever.

He’s an amazing songwriter, y’all. And I absolutely loved getting to hear him sing his stuff live.

Shane Stevens

Look at him go. Booyah.

So check these boys out if you are looking for great sounds and words.

Thanks to Music City Unsigned for hosting such a cool night at the Bluebird.

If you ever come to Nashville to visit, make sure you schedule in a trip to the Bluebird. You will not regret it.

When I was in New York, I walked. A lot.

And I absolutely slaughtered the battery on my iPhone, whom you know goes by the name Anita. [She's cute. I like her a lot.]

I really enjoyed the soundtrack idea. Like, as I walked, the songs that played felt like my daily soundtrack. [I always wanted my life to be a television show. Sue me.] And because I’m a few shades of crazy, I have weird personal rules about how much music I keep on my phone [not a lot] and a few albums dominated my trip.

Like:

• Ingrid Michaelson- Everybody
• Mat Kearney-  City of Black & White
• Needtobreathe- The Outsiders
• Dave Barnes- What We Want, What We Get
• Ben Rector- Into The Morning

And Ben Rector was on high high rotation.

I remember standing in Grand Central Station on Friday morning. I was sad the NanoMBA was over, scared of what was next, sorry to end my time as a public transportation commuter. People buzzed around me and I just stopped. I wanted to breathe the moment- take a snapshot in my mind. And Ben sang in my ears,

“This isn’t easy.

This isn’t clear.

And you don’t need Jesus til you’re here.“

And I’ve thought about those lines a lot in the last few weeks. As I’ve come back from New York and embarked on some new things at Mocha Club, had some good days and some worst ever days, I’ve worried and I’ve celebrated. It’s been a wonderful and horrible month.

You’re welcome.

I walked around my neighborhood and through Hillsboro Village last week, mainly just to get in touch with Commuter Annie. I like her a lot and I wanted to know that she still lived in me- the girl who walks around, music playing, with purpose but not with worry. She was focused in New York, I feel scattered in Nashville. She was quietly confident in New York, I feel tired in Nashville. She was someone I want to be and I feel like someone I don’t like.

Ben came into my ears and I was grateful for the reminder. For that moment, on the corner of Hillsboro and Fairfax, to remember that moment at Track 36 when it didn’t feel easy or clear.

Because here, in Nashville, it still isn’t easy and it still isn’t clear.

I thought I really needed Jesus there in Grand Central.

But the truth is I need Him more today.

First of all, thank you for your sweet comments and personal emails you sent yesterday, and for the last week, regarding the floods here. In fact, I got multiple emails from people headed our way to help volunteer. Amazing.

Here’s a few things for you on your Tuesday.

Tuesday is always the day that new music releases and I am THU-RILLED to tell you about a musician you may not know. Jake Ousley. He’s a sweet friend of mine and I absolutely love what he writes and how he sings. He’s also REALLY funny. Which you know goes a long way with me.

His first EP releases today. And if you have $5.94 that you are willing to drop on a new musician, this is where you should do it.

Here is the link to iTunes. Enjoy, my friends. Kentucky Moon is a personal fav of mine. Also, someone you know VERY well wrote his bio, so you can read that here.

Also, my friend Ishita has launched a new online magazine called fear.less. Now. Let me tell you. Don’t start reading unless you are willing to be brave- personally, professionally, all of it. Because these stories make you want to be the best you. Really, it is amazing and inspiring and I think you’ll love it. [That's why I'm telling you about it. I don't tell you about things I think you will hate.]

Also, I have a new Get Fit Segment that aired last week and I am SO SO proud of it. Unfortunately, they won’t let me embed it [whah whah], so I’m just going to have to beg you to CLICK THE LINK and watch it. Please?

[And I'm only telling you this because we are such good friends, but I was SO SICK on the day we filmed this. Like, flu-ish. That's why my voice sounds like that of an SEC linebacker.]

I also forgot to tell you [whoops] that my monthly article published at (in)courage last week. It is about the Get Fit Challenge, so if you have heard enough of my jabber, forget it. But if you’d like to hear another part of the story, head on over.

Also remember that I’m at Flying Solo all month, blogging about being single and finding community.

Also thanks for loving me even when I send you on a wild click chase around the internet.

Tomorrow I will limit your clicking and I’ll just tell you about my new job.

Cause I actually have a real job. In Nashville.

Weird, but true.

I have so many things to tell you about.

Just things. That are great. And I’m a big believer in sharing. So let’s do it.

EASY CLICK OF THE WEEK:

• My sweet friend Natalie has made it to the Top 10 to win a worldwide travel internship. Would you take literally two seconds to vote for her? You don’t have to give any info- just click a button. Done-ski.

GOOD SOUNDING CLICK OF THE WEEK:

• Dave Barnes’s album came out this week and y’all. People. Can’t. Get. Enough. I know I told you about it a few weeks ago, but here’s the link to the album if you haven’t gotten it yet.

GOOD SMELLING CLICK OF THE WEEK:

• My dear friend LoraLynn and her family are adopting a baby. And to help fund that, she has made her own laundry detergent that you can buy online. Seriously. MADE HER OWN SOAP. That’s dedication, people.

Here’s the link to HOPE SUDS.

Even just purchasing one bag of detergent would absolutely make a difference.

YOU’VE ALREADY READ THIS CLICK OF THE WEEK:

• Today at (in)courage, I am writing again about my friends who took me on a date. Because you, my people, seemed to really like that article, I reworked it and put it over there. HERE’S THE LINK.

FAV PRODUCT CLICK OF THE WEEK:

• Thanks to my dear Nester, I won a coupon holder/organizer from Jamie at The Organized Shopper. People. You need to look around her Etsy site. You mamas won’t be able to resist.

PAINFUL CLICK OF THE WEEK:

• Lyndsay and I barely survived this kickboxing class. And she was brave enough to write about the monster who taught it.

MOST AWESOME CLICK OF THE WEEK:

• What are some awesome things you’ve read this week? What have you written this week? Listened to this week? Purchased?

Share with me, bloggites.

Well.

Last night I went to the Ryman. Which. I’m gonna say. Is quickly becoming my favorite venue. Ugh. It’s awesome. And who played at the Ryman? My Grammy date Hillary and Lady Antebellum. It. Was. Insane. Couldn’t have been more fun.

You know who else I saw play at the Ryman recently?

Dave Barnes.     and.     Matt Wertz.

And guess which two of my favorite Nash-dudes put out new music in the last few weeks?

Dave Barnes.     and.     Matt Wertz.

I just downloaded Dave’s album myself and I already can’t. get. enough. And Matt’s EP? It is absolutely springtime approved: windows-down-music-up-stress-down-thumbs-up kinda stuff.

And guess who is going to  get a copy of Dave’s new album and Matt’s new EP?

You.     and.     You.

Just head over to the giveaway page – I’m giving TWO of you TWO albums. I know. It’s crazy. But you know how I feel about weekends. I just can’t resist. And it’s daylight savings. So I thought you should save. Get it?

The giveaway is open until Sunday night at 9pm CST [cause I go to bed at 10pm. Don't judge me].

Of course. I haven’t *exactly* figured out how to get the downloads to the winners, but surely I can figure that out before my bedtime on Sunday. Even if I have to mail you $15 via USPS, we’ll work it out, don’t you worry about that.

If you don’t believe in entering giveaways, or maybe you just personally hate free stuff, here’s where you can buy the albums.

Dave Barnes.     and.     Matt Wertz.

[Sidenote- this giveaway was not endorsed, ie- the boyz didn't pay me to do this. I just thought it would be fun. Amen.]

Now, get outta here and go win you some new music!

Because literally, it’s midnight and I have no idea where this blog post is going.

I guess I’ll just explain some things about some things.

1. The girls Bible study that I attend is doing Beth Moore’s Breaking Free. So. You can imagine how it is tearing.my.life.apart. [If you've ever done this study, you know exactly what I mean.] This entire winter/spring, my spiritual life is actually being somewhat dissected and messed with in general. So forgive me if we miss a few bloggy days here or there. I’m possibly on my face praying and dealing with God about something.

Possibly.

2. Also, I finally finished moving and unpacking boxes. My room is cutey-patootie. I’ve found the real joy is this little area. [Forgive the un-hung painting. That's the final step to room completion.]

There are approximately 45 jokes I want to make about this picture above [something about the shoes, about the "Gospel-Centered Life" notebook, about the abundance of off-white], but I’ll spare you.

This was my grandmother’s bedside table and for the first time since I inherited it in 1999, I feel like it’s living up to its potential.

3. I never know whether to say “it’s” or “its” and I feel really bad about it. Don’t judge me.

4. I have a new video on the GET FIT website. [At some point, I am really going to HAVE to quit choosing humor over self-respect.]

5. I am super excited that I get to go to Marietta for a few days next week. It’s Molly’s birthday party AND my friend Jennifer will be having a baby AND my parents are there AND I’m speaking at a chapel service for a private school AND I’m seeing some friends from my former life when I had good insurance as a teacher AND I’m hoping Kathleen will let me come over and hang out with her family and maybe she’ll teach me how to cook something new.

Pretty much, I’m homesick.

6. Saturday morning is book club. My favorite day of the month.

7. Ben Rector’s album Into The Morning comes out today. His voice is like the ocean. You should get it. [Not his voice. Who do you think you are? Ursula? I meant you should get his album. Sheesh.]

8. Also, plan on attending the Help Haiti Live event. Even if you aren’t in Nashville or LA, you can watch online. Good music for a good cause? Don’t mind if I do.

9. Wanna see how some girls are meeting a unique ministry need here in Nashville? Check out Road Widows.

10. Thanks for being here today. Tell me something. I’m all ears.

[BONUS: Spell-check just corrected "patootie" from "patootey." There's your spelling lesson for today.]

Ok. Let’s do this.

Let’s talk Grammys.

There is no way. Absolutely no way. For me to do justice to the event. I’m not going to go hour by hour telling you all the people we saw and hung out with, the things we ate [though I am talking about that at Annie Gets Fit today] and the places we went.

But I am going to show a few pics and give out a few Gr-Annies of my own. [I will not be giving any of these Gr-Annies to the members of Lady A- they already got a Grammy. So don't think I don't love my people. Cause sheesh. I do.]

Gr-Annie for “being every bit as beautiful in real life as she is on television” = Lea Michele from Glee.

Gr-Annie for “wow the TV really, uh, makes you look great” = Kathy Griffin

Gr-Annie for “celebrity that made me laugh the most from stage” = Jack Black

Gr-Annie for “celebrity that made me laugh the most in person” = Dierks Bentley

Gr-Annie for “I hope we’re friends forever” = Miranda Lambert

Gr-Annie for “coolest person I saw up close” = Elton John

Here are some things that I absolutely loved:

• Breakfast. Every morning, Hill and Lara and I would order room service and they had an awesome egg white wrap- spinach wrap around an egg white, black bean, and grilled chicken mix. Oh. My. Gracious. It was delicious.
• Having a driver. Nothing wrong with not having to worry about getting lost.
• The red carpet. I will not lie. Being there was awesome.
• The live performances. They were amazing.
• Lady Antebellum WINNING A GRAMMY. Y’all. We were out of control. And they so deserved it. They are pretty close to taking over the world. I hope you’re ready to bow to the Lady A.

Here are some pictures:

Here is Lady A being interviewed a few days before the Grammys. This was an interesting experience- radio and television crews were set up all over the room and musicians just were led from one media outlet to another. It was cool.

Duh. I got a talent sticker. You had to have one of these to get into the rehearsals. Don’t worry- I saved them all. Obviously.

This was at rehearsals. I wasn’t supposed to take pictures. I even got yelled at by a security guy. I’m such a rebel when it comes to what I’ll do for my blog readers.

Here is Hillary and I after the first event, MusiCares. I don’t know if you’ve heard of this organization, but it’s awesome. If a musician gets in financial trouble, or needs rehab or medical bill assistance, they can apply to MusiCares for help. I was really impressed. This is where Jack Black was the host and y’all. Every bit as funny in real life. Every bit.

Here is me and Hillary on the red carpet. I’m not really this short- she is in some serious heels and [don't tell my stylist friend Amber] I am in flats. Y’all. I just couldn’t do it again. My dogs were barking a pitiful tune by Sunday. So I broke every style rule and wore flats to the Grammys. Sorry, but I’m not sorry. It was the best decision ever.

Here are Adam and Dave on the red carpet. Adam is a dear friend and he is the video guy for Lady A. So if you’ve ever seen a Webisode Wednesday, those are all Adam’s work. He’s awesome. Dave is also a good friend and he’s in Lady A. [I have no pictures of Charles and his wife Cassie which is a tragedy of epic proportion.]

Also, because I don’t quit being me [i.e- flats], when Hillary said “Wow, your eyeshadow looks awesome,” I said, “Really? Prove it.” So I closed my eye cause, can you blame me, I wanted to see it.

I know. I’m an idiot.

And finally. I have to say. I cannot begin to thank Hillary enough. The idea that she would even invite me. It’s really so so kind. And the rest of the Lady A family. They worked hard to make me feel like I was just one of them. They are all wonderful and I’m about to get all teary and tore up about it. I could not have had more fun and I could not love them any more than I do right now.

Ok. Enough softy business.

Final thing: Do you have any questions? I feel like maybe there is some stuff y’all want to know about the Grammys. I dunno. If there is a burning question, leave it in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer in a post tomorrow.

But are totes worth it.

First of all, sorry my blog was broken this morning. It happens.

Here are some clicks for today that, while they aren’t free, are all awesome.

First of all, my friend Lady Antebellum released their sophomore album today and it. is. great. So click on this iTunes button and it will send you straight to the new album Need You Now. You won’t regret it.

Also, our friend Dave Barnes has released the first single from his new album. The single is “God Gave Me You” and good gracious, people. That’s a good way to spend 99 cents. [I gave Dave a dollar one time. But it's because I lost a bet. It involved a lot of skewers of chicken. And he won. Cause he loves chicken on a skewer more than you would believe.]

Anyways, click on this iTunes button and you can spend a dollar on Dave. For a much better gift than watching him eat 20+ skewers of chicken. Trust. Me.

Finally, tonight is going to be so.much.fun. I’ll be there. Dave will be there. Brandon Heath will be there. Matt Wertz will be there. And YOU can be there too! For only $1.50! And you can be in your pajamas. [But we won't.]

It’s a live concert, streaming online, with songs, interviews, and me running the live twitter stream! And the money goes to building wells in Africa. So tonight at 8pm CST, log on to the Mocha Club website and watch the concert.

Go ahead and register NOW then remind yourself to come tonight! I’ll see you there!!

I know there are some more albums coming out today– any recommendations from you??

This is one of my dear friends, Seth Philpott.

This photo doesn’t do Seth justice. You can’t see him smiling. You can’t see how the world entertains him. You can’t hear him CRACKING ME UP. Cause if he’s talking, I’m laughing. Game over.

But because he wanted to be sure to look cool, here’s the picture I’m allowed to show you.

[Whah whah.]

You win, Seth. You look super cool.

So Seth is releasing his first EP today titled Good Hearts. And y’all. He is good. The stuff he writes is high quality. I mean, he’s not paying me a single dime to say all this. So you can believe me. I love the songs on this EP.

It’s only $6. That’s all. So I’m thinking you should head over and buy you one.

And.

Because Seth is a giver, for the FIRST TEN PEOPLE who comment, I get to email you a free song! I know, right?!? How cool is that? But there’s a catch: you have to tell Seth that you think he’s awesome in your comment. Today is his birthday, so why can’t we give him the gift of kind words? I mean, you can elaborate on that as much as you please [but err on the side of not creepy], and the only way I’m counting your comment is if

1. You have left me a working email address when you leave the comment
2. You boost up Seth’s ego a smidge

So if you are one of the FIRST TEN to do that today, I’ll happily email you an MP3 from Seth’s album [sometime soon- I'm currently in flight to NYC! so I may not get to it right away, but soon].

And y’all should get your own copy of Good Hearts.

It’s a good choice. I promise.

[By the way, make sure you are keeping up with me via twitter for the next couple of days as I head to NYC to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Booyah!! I am way past excited.]

This is gonna be easy for you today.

Just two places to click.

Cause see, I don’t believe in making you work hard on Fridays. So.

First of all, check out HELP-PORTRAIT’s new website. It is really amazing. I mean, wowsa kind of amazing. If you are looking for a good way to give back this holiday season, even if you aren’t a photographer, I bet Help-Portrait is happening in your town.

Remember when we did a practice Help-Portrait event here in Nashville? My friend Barry made a cool video [severe understatement] from that day that I think you are going to love [minus the part at the end where I need to stop crying and brush my hair].

[Hey you crazy subscribers- there's a video here. Click over if you can't see it in your reader.]

I know, right? So amazing. You know, someday soon, I’m going to write an entire blog post about the fact that giving within your gifting is deeply beautiful. Until then, just think on that.

Secondly [and I think you are going to like this] I have free music for you.

And by “I”, I mean “my friend Matt.”

Because Matt has just launched a KILLA new website as well and part of the excitement is that he is giving away a live album. FULL. LENGTH. ALBUM.

I know. It’s crazy talk. But it’s true. A full live album for zero American dollars. I personally think he’s lost his mind, but who am I to judge? I go to parties for dogs.

Either way, for a limited time, you can have it for free. [If you're reading this in 2012, I bet it's not free anymore. Just guessing.] So if it’s 2009, go get that album.

To recap: Help-Portrait = you give. Matt Wertz = you take.

Fancy, huh?

Also, gotta give a shout out to my bud Jason and his web design company Otterball- they did both sites and I’m tellin’ y’all, they. are. good.

Amen. You’re welcome. Have a great weekend.