....And We're Back!

On the road that is.

We were supposed to be completely done touring for the year by this time... except for the Christmas benefit we do in Columbia every year. But one of our favorite companies asked us to do a couple of shows for them, and we couldn't say no! :) BASF is an agricultural chemical company and they are a company FILLED with "good people". You know? They first saw us play at the Jack Daniel's Saloon at the Opryland Hotel a few years ago, and we have played several of their events since - including an amazing stay at the Boradmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.

Our first show of this year happened to be for BASF, and our last two shows of the year (other than the Christmas Benefit) will be BASF. Perfect way to round it out if you ask me! :)

So we're headed up to Moline, Illinois to play tomorrow. But it's as simple as that! One show and then back home. Has that ever happened before? Hmmm.... I just can't remember.

So yeah.... I think we can handle that.

No clue where we stopped for the night. I'm not even sure if we're in Illinois yet... even though I was driving the last little bit.

Here's to an easy drive and a fun show tomorrow night!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Rudolph the Cinnamon Reindeer

Cinnamon here...
I don't know what the heck kind of hat this is my parents put on my head... But I. LOVE. it.
#1. It made them really really happy. (which makes me feel good about myself)
#2. It wouldn't have mattered what they did to me as long as it didn't prohibit me from eating my favorite treat (which I had hidden allllll day and decided to dig up and eat right before they did this to me)
#3. I'm stylin.

So I'm in that land of Dallas again. And man I am tired. But thank goodness this time we had enough time to take me out! Mom found some mud and trees so I could... Well... You know... And I have still yet to go in that crazy scanner thingy where they would see me naked. Whew. Mom had to once... But no naked monkeys have been revealed!

I'm still not used to this airport and airplane thing. Mom and Dad said it would calm down on that first flight but they didn't realize that we were in the party section. I was sitting under the rowdiest seat on the whole airplane!!! And no one would let me join the fun. :( I had three American Soldiers sitting above me. Seriously? And I'm not allowed to hang out with them? Come on humans! How do you not understand how awesome that would have been for everyone? They were partying and having a good ole time - I think they were heading back overseas... So it was kind of their last hoo-rah before they get back into soldier mode. They seemed so cool and smelled awesome. I bet they had fantastic stories AND I have a hunch they would have loved me... But no one would let me get out and play.
These people just don't understand how much happiness I want to bring into the world.
Oh well... I'm gonna go back to enjoying Mamma's lap for a few more minutes.

Peace. Love. Min Pins.
~Cinnamon Belle

The Best Teriyaki in the Country

Believe me... we've searched. Everywhere we go... we look for teriyaki. James grew up here in Seattle where teriyaki restaurants outnumber the Wendy's chain. There's one or two or three on every corner. The thing is... they aren't fancy. It's not some crazy exotic special thing. It's just chicken and rice (and of course there are many other options).... but the teriyaki sauce is fabulous. Nothing is fried. It's not elaborate or fancy.

Don't over think it.

It's simple and delicious. And THE ABSOLUTE BEST is called Gourmet Teriyaki on Mercer Island. Every time we try a teriyaki place somewhere else in the country - it seems like they are trying too hard. They put other things in it and mess it up. But just like my pulled pork in the south... it's not that complicated. The meat itself is awesome, and the secret is the sauce. Don't need anything else.

So if you are ever in Seattle and get a hankering for some inexpensive, delicious, quick, healthy food... try a hole in the wall place that has "teriyaki" in the title. Most likely it will be fabulous. And if you want a sure thing? Head over to Mercer Island and go to Gourmet Teriyaki. We have eaten it at least once a day for a week. And thanks to my lovely habit of left-overs at every meal? We both have gotten to have it twice a day :)


Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

My New Stand

I understand that this is probably the most boring blog post ever...
But to me... It's HUGE! My father-in-law is awesome. And he's very handy!!! He and James helped fashion a multi-fiddle stand together for me today :) Something I have wanted for a very long time.
You wouldn't know it... But there's this ridiculous gap in the market for fiddle players. There's sooooooooooo many options out there for guitars, bass, drums, keys... But fiddles? Well... I guess there's just not enough fiddle players in the market that are looking for a multi-fiddle stand!! James bought me a multi-guitar stand, we measured... My father-in-law sawed, hacked, screwed, unscrewed and lord knows what all else to get this thing down to fiddle size. I can't wait to try it out on stage!!! It's gonna be awesome :) it'll fit more fiddles than I even own at this point! Wooo hoo!
So yay for something that no else cares about!!! So much so... That no one in the world makes them!! Thank goodness for fathers-in-law :)

Peace. Love. And so many Fiddles.
~natalie

Happy Thanksgiving!

As many are just getting up to go out for their "amazing Black Friday shopping deals" I am getting ready for bed.
And still... I have a very full tummy :) Today was my first Thanksgiving in Seattle and it was filled with so much love, family, and food. I LOVE family so much and I am so thankful to HAVE so much family.
As I saw greetings from soldiers in Afghanistan during the evening football games... it made me think of how hard that would be. So today I am thankful for all the men and women who are fighting for America around the globe. And for all the families that can't be together during the holidays.

I hope that those of you still celebrating this weekend have wonderful get togethers - may they be filled with love and laughter and just enough "crazy" to keep it interesting :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
natalie

Sent from my iPhone

Happy Snowy Thanksgiving!

This is what a backyard should look like on Thanksgiving!!! Cinnamon got a little too excited this morning. She stepped onto the icy part of the pond and fell in!!! But don't worry - she's been recovering under a blanket... Pretty much allll day long. :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Bands May Have Trouble Selling Out Shows... But Holographs Don't!

This is one of the craziest things I have ever seen. This holograph with a band is selling out shows in Japan. Wonder if I can have a holograph of myself onstage just long enough to distract the audience while I get harnessed up to fly over them with my fiddle...
Hmm...


Peace. Love. and Flying Fiddles.
~natalie

I'm Cinnamon!

Hi! I'm Cinnamon!!!

I wanted to see what all the fuss is about with this big box that is always in my Mamma's lap. She seems to spend a lot of time punching at it with her fingers... but I'm not a fan because it prevents me from being able to sit in her lap.

I have no idea what happened to me last night. I haven't seen my mom and dad in weeks, then all of a sudden.... they show up at midnight... kidnap me from Granny and Grandaddy and... well.... I don't understand ANYTHING that has happened since.

We go back home like we normally do, but instead of throwing the clothes (that have their scent all over them) in a big pile in the closet... they just take a bunch of them out of the big boxes and put them in smaller boxes with wheels. Normally they put their clothes in those giant thingys that spin and make them smell like flowers. OOOH! And when they come OUT.... they are warmer than my heating pad! I LOVE it when they do that cause then I bury myself in the big warm pile. But NOPE. Not this time :(

After they got done zipping up the smaller boxes of clothes... they started putting together a new crate for me. But I don't think they realize that they downgraded me. I mean, I don't mind my crate and I don't have to get in it very often. But tonight they bought me an even smaller one than I am used to and made me sit in it for HOURS.



First off, some strange dude in a van that they didn't even know picked us up and took us to a giant building that had all these huge metal birds flying over head. (I don't know WHAT those things are about. I don't even have a desire to chase those birds). Then they finally took me out for a minute while some guy inspected my Daddy and me with a wand and looked through his back pack. (I was SO scared they were gonna take away all my treats) But of course... after the poking and prodding I had to go back in that tiny crate.

I have never seen so many people running around... And they wouldn't even let me out to explore. (whimper) THEN and this is the worst part... they shoved me underneath a seat IN that tiny crate and I heard sounds and felt vibrations and bumps that I have NEVER experienced before. I woke up and Mamma said I was in some place called Dallas.... but I don't understand what that meant. I mean... we just sat there and watched everyone else eat and run around. Then we went into another room and the shoved me under a smaller seat kids screaming... even MORE bumps... and strange noises. But FINALLY we got out of THAT room and Mamma said we're in a place called Seattle!!! I like Seattle. Seattle was the first place I got to pee in a WHILE. And I REALLY needed to.

So I guess all of the craziness was to get us to this wonderous white winterland called Seattle. So it was totally worth it :) I like how this place smells. Mamma really likes the white stuff that is everywhere. I think I do, too, but I would like it more if I had boots to cover my feets like she does. My Grandpa James and Grandma Diana are AWESOME. I haven't had much time to spend with them yet, because I'm still checking out these cool floors and carpets. My Grandma Diana's shoes are the best so far... she must have one of those giant horse dogs. I like those things - I met one once... I hope I get to meet another one. Their nostrils are bigger than my ears!

I am such a sleepy puppy. I'm gonna go bury myself under my Daddy's blanket. And sleep until someone says the word "TREAT".

Peace. Love. Puppies.
~Cinnamon Belle

Headed to the Pacific Northwest!

Well... We made it home from Detroit, repacked our suitcases, got Cinnamon all packed up and now we're heading to Seattle for Thanksgiving.
Traveling with Cinnamon on an airplane is a first for us :) We'll see how this goes!!!

Hope everyone is having a great start to the holidays. I can't believe they are already upon us!!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Sent from my iPhone

Stealing Angels and Playing Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill

Last big show on the road!!!!! How crazy is that? We still have 3 shows left - but they are all one-offs that we drive... play... and drive back home.

But this is the end of a long run of shows... weeks out at a time with very little breaks. And we are ALL ready for a little break. :)

Tonight we were back at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill in Auburn Hills, Mi.

And can I please show you what Jennifer posted on her facebook page? Jennifer and Marlie both saw us on their campus... then came to "I Love This Bar" the first time we played... but got kicked out half way through :(

So tonight - they came knowing they weren't gonna get to see any of the show. Stealing Angels (who are FANTASTIC BY THE WAY!!!!) played first... so we didn't get on stage until 11. Both of these girls are under age... But this is what they posted on their facebook pages tonight. :)

"So I sat in a bathroom stall at Toby Keith's I Love this Bar and Grill for 40 minutes with Marlie during the time that they kick out all the underage people out with the hopes of seeing Natalie Stovall, which we did. We watched a whole set. The 40 minutes in the stall was totally worth everything, it was an awesome night!!!!!!!!!!"

How great it was to see them again and I was SOOOOO happy they got to see part of the show! They left after the first set, because they didn't want to push their luck :) They are such good, sweet girls. And I hate that they can't see the whole show. But they sang EVERY WORD to my songs. And made me a happy girl.


Alan is a good friend of ours from Berklee who lives in the area. We haven't seen him in soooooo long. He brought us the sweetest git bags filled with stuff from Detroit. Alan is just the best. And it was so excellent to see him again. We didn't get to spend a lot of time together. But it is always fun to catch up with an old friend - even if it is just for a few minutes!


ipod signage :) She's gonna put clear fingernail polish over it so it doesn't rub off. Isn't that so smart?!




Dormer was SOOO excited that he could see himself on the FRONT of my camera. Not sure how he's just now figuring this out as many pictures as he's taken on it. Band self-portraits are the best. :)


Great, GREAT final show for this big run.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Lourdes College... And Then There Were Four

Wow. Two REALLY REALLY great shows in a row. :)

Being able to get up today and ONLY having to drive an hour and a half was like a dream! After hanging out until the wee hours of the morning at Nino's, we didn't get a whole lot of sleep. But NOT having a long drive made it all kinds of better.

Miguel's wife, Jennifer, drove up to Nino's to pick him up last night and they left after the show. He went back to Nashville because.....

Drumroll please....

He is now officially an American citizen!!! YAY!!! He took his oath this morning after taking the test (and passing with flying colors) a month ago. Man, the study guide for that test is no joke! I feel like this whole band knows a WHOLE LOT MORE about America after helping Miguel study :) You know what this means though? He can now go over seas with us!!! We were so sad that he didn't get to come on the trip last year. But that won't be a problem next summer. As the big overseas adventure will continue this next year. And this time, everyone gets to come!!! YAY!

But the crazy thing was that tonight we played as a 4 piece for the first time in a while. There were so many things that were strange - it seemed empty on Panther's side of the stage.... and it was really weird to have Joel to my right and no Miguel. But I just have to say, the guys really stepped up. There's always a worry that it will sound empty when you're used to having more instruments.... but it really didn't! Joel did an amazing job filling the space AND being a lead player all at once. It was just different, you know? We all had to think a little more than normal, but it really made it a fun and unique show for us. And the crowd was unbelievable!!! They gave so much love - students from Owens Community College (where we've played before) came out to support us!

We even had two violin/fiddle players in the audience. They even played a little bit to warm up the crowd when they first arrived!!! These girls have a VERY bright future in music, and it was so fun to meet them!!!
I even got to sign Rosalie's case!


Our Owens Girls


Maurice - who posted these pics online since I didn't have my camera - THANK YOU! :)


My front row ladies :) The only ones I could see!!! They had me going the whole show!


And for the first time in a while... I am about to get a full night's sleep. It's gonna be AWESOME.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

I Definitely Just Spit Some Luda

We had an incredible show tonight at Nino's!!! It sure didn't feel like a Thursday - it was one of those shows where you just get that feeling (we all did together) that "this is what it's all about". The show was spontaneous - all kinds of awesome things happened - I ended up wearing a cowboy hat for most of the show - thanks to Kyle :). Dormer ended up playing guitar down in the crowd... Miguel had an incredible solo where he had the whole crowd in the palm of his hands... He even played with his teeth at one point!!!
My good friend from college in Boston - Mike- showed up and surprised us!!!

But right now... We're doing some pretty serious karaoke with Nino. So I better get back to that. :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Driving In A Winter Wonderland

I'll Be Your Sugar Mamma

Last night after our show, I asked a big group of guys where we should go eat today. Without missing a beat, they all simultaneously said "The Rice Paddy"!!! So that's where we headed. This sweet little lady has this tiny restaurant out by NMU's
Campus. She does all the cooking herself and it is unlike any Thai restaurant we've ever been to!!! And if she doesn't know your name she'll call you "boyfriend" or "girlfriend". There's no tables - just some chairs around the wall. It was AMAZING. We were all ooo-ing and ahh-ing over our food. We are one satisfied band right now. (Well, Panther couldn't stop and needed to lay down after his meal)

We started talking when we came back in to pick up our food and she offered to help promote us next time :) SOO sweet. There were pics of Apolo Ohno up everywhere. He eats there a LOT! And my favorite part was that when we started to pay, we realized that she didn't have a credit machine... As the only one that had cash... I got to do the honors :) So she started calling me "Sugar Mamma"!!! Haha. And then Panther chimed in by saying, "actually she is!"

We'll definitely be going back to the Rice Paddy on our next visit to Marquette. :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

There's an Entire Store Here For Bingo Supplies!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

The Medal of Honor

Prince William announced his engagement today to Kate Middleton.

Natalie Stovall and her band played a show to the smallest audience they have ever played to tonight in Marquette Michigan thanks to the opening of deer season.

But the most important thing to speak of today is that the Medal of Honor was given to the its first living recipient in over 40 years. I don't have a speech writing staff like the President does, nor have I met this man. But all I can say is that Staff Sgt. Salvatore A. Giunta is a man that deserves the utmost respect, appreciation, and admiration from us all.



In 2007, at only 22 years old, he and his platoon found themselves in the Korengal Valley -- the most dangerous valley in northeast Afghanistan. They came under an ambush in the middle of the night..

"And the two lead men were hit by enemy fire and knocked down instantly. When the third was struck in the helmet and fell to the ground, Sal charged headlong into the wall of bullets to pull him to safety behind what little cover there was. As he did, Sal was hit twice -- one round slamming into his body armor, the other shattering a weapon slung across his back.

They were pinned down, and two wounded Americans still lay up ahead. So Sal and his comrades regrouped and counterattacked. They threw grenades, using the explosions as cover to run forward, shooting at the muzzle flashes still erupting from the trees. Then they did it again. And again. Throwing grenades, charging ahead. Finally, they reached one of their men. He’d been shot twice in the leg, but he had kept returning fire until his gun jammed.

As another soldier tended to his wounds, Sal sprinted ahead, at every step meeting relentless enemy fire with his own. He crested a hill alone, with no cover but the dust kicked up by the storm of bullets still biting into the ground. There, he saw a chilling sight: the silhouettes of two insurgents carrying the other wounded American away -- who happened to be one of Sal’s best friends. Sal never broke stride. He leapt forward. He took aim. He killed one of the insurgents and wounded the other, who ran off.

Sal found his friend alive, but badly wounded. Sal had saved him from the enemy -- now he had to try to save his life. Even as bullets impacted all around him, Sal grabbed his friend by the vest and dragged him to cover. For nearly half an hour, Sal worked to stop the bleeding and help his friend breathe until the MEDEVAC arrived to lift the wounded from the ridge. American gunships worked to clear the enemy from the hills. And with the battle over, First Platoon picked up their gear and resumed their march through the valley. They continued their mission.

It had been as intense and violent a firefight as any soldier will experience. By the time it was finished, every member of First Platoon had shrapnel or a bullet hole in their gear. Five were wounded. And two gave their lives: Sal’s friend, Sergeant Joshua C. Brennan, and the platoon medic, Specialist Hugo V. Mendoza."

As I was reading this story - my eyes filled with tears and I kept having the resounding thought in my head - so loud it seemed like I was saying it aloud, "I AM SO PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN."

And I just needed to share. I hope you were impacted as much as I by this story.

"This medal today is a testament to his uncommon valor, but also to the parents and the community that raised him; the military that trained him; and all the men and women who served by his side.

All of them deserve our enduring thanks and gratitude. They represent a small fraction of the American population, but they and the families who await their safe return carry far more than their fair share of our burden. They fight halfway around the globe, but they do it in hopes that our children and our grandchildren won’t have to."

To read President Obama's remarks awarding the Medal of Honor to Staff Sgt. Salvatore A. Giunta and the official citation, as provided by the White House (which I have quoted excerpts from) click here.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

The Yoopers Know Their Stuff

The Yoopers really know how to do cool little bars and pubs. We had the greatest meal tonight in Marquette - we just walked about 2 blocks down the little main street - found the only place still serving at 9:30 and it was EXCELLENT! And every time we have tried any of the little unique places around here - we have NOT been disappointed!!

Miguel and I both just saw an ad for our shows for the next two nights on facebook! It was so fun :)

Corey posted pics from the show I did with her and Jessie James the other night.


That night already seems so long ago and it wasn't even a week ago. It's amazing how time is flying. We only have 8 more shows for the rest of the year. WHAT?!??! That's craziness!! 5 of those are in the next five days and then we have 3 more after Thanksgiving. Wow. Can't believe the year is coming to an end. I'm excited about these next few shows and then getting in a little recharge, resting, writing, and rehearsing in. :) And most of all some family and Cinnamon time! How I miss that little pup.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Guess where we are

Panther's holding cheese curds... if you are wondering :)

Peace. love. fiddle.
~nat

Get Your Tix For The "Have A Blues Christmas"

The 6th annual Have a Blues Christmas is upon us!!! Below is the article that came out today in the Columbia, Tn paper. For tix:
Contact Keith Throneberry at (931) 381-1745 or iceman@xtreme4x4.net

This concert gets more fun every year. We continue to raise more and more money for the kids. Can't wait!!! It always sells out, so get your tix fast!!!

Concert to benefit gift program

By Staff Reports

Rock ‘n’ roll is once again riding to the rescue of needy Maury County children at Christmas.

The Scott Holt Band and Natalie Stovall will headline the sixth annual Have a Blues Christmas concert Saturday, Dec. 11, at American Legion Post 19, 812 Nashville Highway in Columbia. Doors open at 6 p.m.

The concert is a benefit for the Community Christmas Card, which provides Christmas gifts to Maury County children whose family income falls below federal poverty guidelines.

Sponsor tickets are $50 and include reserve seating, a meal and each sponsor’s name listed on the show’s commemorative T-shirts and the program video. A limited number of general admission tickets will be available for $25.

Tickets are available at Jenkins Automotive, 2702 Trotwood Ave., Columbia. Reservations can be made and more information can be obtained by contacting Keith Throneberry at (931) 381-1745 or iceman@xtreme4x4.net.


Throneberry, whose Columbia Xtreme 4X4 Club sponsors the event, said a late start, the bad economy and other factors nearly sidelined plans for this year’s concert.

“But I think it’s important to keep it going for the kids,” he said.

Last year’s concert raised $11,020 for the Community Christmas Card, bringing its five-year total donations to about $50,000.

Christmas Card Board Member Chris Fletcher said it would be extremely difficult for the charity to reach its goal — this year set at $65,000 — without the Have a Blues Christmas concert.

“It seems like every year Scott, Natalie, Keith and friends raise more money, and every year we receive more applications from needy families,” Fletcher said. “This December, with high unemployment lingering in our community, we will need them more than ever.”

Holt performs nearly 200 shows a year and has toured throughout the world sharing the stage with some of rock’s royalty, including The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. For 10 years he toured with his mentor, blues legend Buddy Guy, who asked him to join his band not long after Holt graduated from Columbia Central High School.

Natalie Stovall and her band will again join Holt for the event. Stovall, who has performed at the White House and at major events and venues throughout the country, electrifies audiences with her guitar- and fiddle-playing and tremendous vocal skills.

The Community Christmas Card one part of a three-pronged charity managed by volunteers and collectively known as the Maury County Community Christmas Program.

The Christmas Card provides gift vouchers redeemable only for gifts for children under age 17 from local merchants.

Participants in the Angel Tree program take the name of a child from Angel Trees located at area businesses. After purchasing and wrapping the gifts, they return them to any Angel Tree host business. These gifts are then given to the children a few days before Christmas at the Ridley 4-H Center distribution point.

The Adopt-A-Family program allows benefactors to purchase and deliver gifts to the children of a needy family they select from a list available for review during the first week of December.

Contributions to the Community Christmas Card Program may be sent to Community Christmas Card Program, P.O. Box 1425, Columbia, TN 38402 or dropped off at The Daily Herald, 1115 S. Main St., during regular business hours, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

The Community Christmas Card Program is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization. All donations to the program are tax deductible.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

My Imaginary Friends Are REAL

When I was a little girl, I had imaginary friends. I think I've mentioned before that they resembled Woodstock (Snoopie's best birdie friend) with the big noses and what not... and they were REALLY short... I don't remember this part, but Mamma always said that I would introduce them all and I would have my "old friends" and my "new friends".

I think about that a lot when we have old friends show up at shows and then all the newbies that we meet, too. :)

We played at another Ballydoyle location tonight - in Bloomingdale, Il. We had lots of old friends and new friends show up :)

Old friend (even though tonight was the first time we met!!) Rich had found my music online a few years ago. He's never been able to make it to one of our shows in the area. But tonight, he finally was able to come! :) So fun.


New friends!


Old friend; Scott Holt turned Natalie Stovall fan :)


New friend


And of course there were a lot more!!! We had a really great show tonight. It was nice to have a little bigger stage this evening :) We weren't all up on top of each other :) And people kept requesting my songs. I feel like we are turning a big corner because that is happening so much lately. We keep showing up and people are singing along to my songs and making lists of requests of only my tunes. You have no idea how HUGE that is. And how much more wonderful that is than when someone requests "Sweet Home Alabama" (on SO many levels.)
Nothing against "Sweet Home"...it's just that it is not hard to impress when everyone AND their mother know all the lyrics to a song... getting people to like what YOU do is the trick :)

Tomorrow we have a day off and the band is having our first writing day together. I am SOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Back At Ballydoyle

Mmmm. And I had me some Shepherd's Pie. It did NOT disappoint!!! :)

It was a very fun night with lots of wonderful people!!! Aunt Carol and Aunt Karen came all the way from Iowa to see us (And we never got a picture.... I'm SO fired for that one). And as always, they loaded down the trailer with lots of baked goods and this time some surprises for Ella!!! Miguel's little one is WAAAY into Dinosaur's these days.

One day he was saying bye to her and she said, "Daddy!!! You can't leave! I'll miss you." And Miguel said, "Well, I have to go on the road so that I can take care of you and Mommy and buy you food and clothes." Ella's reply? "OOOOOO and dinosaur stuff?!" I'm sure he tried not to laugh, but of course replied with "Yes. And dinosaur stuff" So Aunt Carol loaded Miguel down with a whole BAG FULL of dinosaur stuff. Ella is gonna be one happy chic when her Daddy gets home off the road!

Amoreena was there celebrating her birthday and being healthy (she's had a couple of tough weeks with strep throat - uck. NOT fun). But she and Michele were in very high spirits tonight! They sat in the front row and sang the lyrics to ALL my songs. This is why I ♥ them.


And Dawn and Scott were there, too!!! They are big Scott Holt fans and will be coming to the annual Have a Blues Christmas this year in Columbia :)


Guess what? We're only 20 minutes from the club tomorrow. Know what that means? NO DRIVING TOMORROW!!! This chica is sleeping IIIIINNNNNN. ooo... reminds me to RUN and put the "Do Not Disturb" sign out. These are the important things when on the road.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Vincennes University's Red Skelton Performing Arts Center

Happy Veterans Day, Daddy and all our VETS!!!

We played in the most gorgeous venue tonight in Vincennes, Indiana.

The Red Skelton Performing Arts Center is on the Campus of Indiana's first college - Vincennes University. And the audience was fantastic!!


Every once in a while - a performing arts center crowd can be a bit tame. I think it's the venue more than anything. You don't usually think "rock concert" when you think of a PAC. But tonight - the room didn't intimidate anyone there!!

The room is actually designed with fantastic acoustics... which is a problem when you start bringing in things like drums and amplifiers :) We had a bit of a tough time getting it right, and I actually had my amp down lower than I ever have before!!! It was funny, too because the sound guys thought that we turned up throughout the set :( Which makes me sad... because we take that very seriously and know that we were already struggling with sound... we would never turn up our amps when there's already difficulties. Ahhh well.

The audience didn't seem to mind!!! They were SOOO enthusiastic!

And I have to say a HUGE thank you to WZDM 92.1 and WUZR 105.7 for being so supportive!!! And congrats to all 12 of the winners that got free tix and won my new cd! It was awesome to meet you all!!! Can't wait to see all the pics!

Again -it was another night with SOOO much going on that I never even got to have my own camera out and circulating. But pics are starting to show up already on facebook! Thanks for posting, girls :)



And thank you to all of CAB for taking us out to one of the most hilarious Applebee's experiences I have ever had! :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Brescia Made Us Brownies!!!

We had the best show tonight at Brescia University. And I'm not gonna lie... the fact that there were FLOWERS in the greenroom, a homemade batch of brownies, and a gift bag... got me pretty pumped from the get go. SOOOOO sweet. AND SOOOOO YUMMMMY!

Steph and I had a great road trip here. It's so fun to have my sister here with us! I wish she could come on the road with us more... but even just one night is amazing. She got the full experience, too. From having a tough load in - almost getting the trailer stuck in a tight spot... hanging out with us before and after the show... coming to late night Denny's and now listening to Miguel play guitar as we are getting ready for bed. :) She is really enjoying that. She keeps saying she could listen to it all the time.... couldn't we all?


I haven't even had a chance to see what all went on at the CMA's tonight! But I guess I have a pretty good reason. :) The crowd was fantastic tonight - and we all had a blast afterwards hanging out and talking to all the students. The school only has 700 people total - so it's quite a small campus. But they sure were supportive tonight!

And tonight was our first ALL WIRELESS show!!! All the guys and I are now officially wireless!!! We're still working out all the kinks... as you always have to do. But it is gonna make such a huge difference for us to not be tied down all the time! That was our b-day presents to Joel and Panther - making sure they are wireless, too... so now we are ALL free to roam about the stage. (And the crowd.) Get ready. It's a small first step towards making my dream of flying over the audience while playing my fiddle happen!

Everyone else had camera's going like crazy - so I'll be able to steal pics later. But thank you SOOO much to the SAPB for all your help!


Heading to Vincennes, In tomorrow. YAY!
Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Captain Jack Brought the Thunder to Nashville

It's a wonderful feeling to take a leap of faith (even if it's a small one)... hope for the best... and feel like it was worth it :)

I was SO jittery and nervous on the way to the club. I know, I know... me? nervous about an acoustic show? But I wasn't concerned about my set. We just never got to rehearse with Jessie and I was gonna play and sing on all 7 of her songs. And I DON'T take that lightly. I haven't played for someone else in a while... and trying to memorize lyrics for 7 songs in a day (when there's a lot of other things going on!) is not easy. Ok... I feel like the violins need to start playing. Oh booo hooo for me. I'm just saying... that's WHY I was a little nervous.

It's funny to meet someone you're gonna work with ON the STAGE - especially in an acoustic set where there's no where to hide!

Plus... Corey asked me to play on all of her songs... it was awesome, I just didn't know them! So that was a "hold on tight" situation. :) But it was so much fun. I haven't had a night like tonight probably since college! Crazy!

Captain Jack was as wonderful as everyone had said - and was wonderful to ME.

I just miss my boys. I had a wonderful night... but it's weird to not have them here to share it with. Can't wait to meet back up with them tomorrow night. My sister and I are ROAD TRIPPIN to meet them for our show in KY tomorrow. I am so excited! :)

Thank you thank you THANK YOU to ALLL that came out tonight. Amazing.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Me, Corey Wagar, Jessie James... tomorrow night at 12th and Porter in Nashville

I flew home today from NY for an acoustic show tomorrow night.... so all you Nashville peeps - I hope to see you there!!!

It's almost time for the CMA's so Nashville is overflowing with good shows and amazing talent.... EVEN MORE THAN NORMAL.

Tomorrow night... the place to be? 12th and Porter at 7pm!

Corey Wagar, Natalie Stovall , Jessie James (and some possible MAJOR surprise guests!) ALLL brought to you by Rockin Country Thunder 106.

I'll be doing a bunch of my songs - and even helping out the girls, too! It's a FREE show and gonna be a GREAT time! These girls can SANG. So COME ON Y'ALL!!!!! I didn't fly down from NYC for nuttin! :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Did I Mention I <3 NY?

Went to an amazing brunch that was complimented with family, friends, great food, and mimosas... Walked a street fair on 5th Ave... Watched the NYC Marathon while IN NYC... Saw the Christmas decorations at Macy's and ice skating rink at Bryant Park... Caught up with an old friend... Ate
the best sushi I've EVER had for
Dinner... And watched a movie on the 28th floor of a gorgeous apt while looking at the NY skyline.
I <3 NY

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~nat

I <3 New York and Tamara's Birthdays!

Ohhh New York. You never disappoint. My love affair with this city continues!!

We had an AWESOME show and turn out tonight. (Thank You and Happy eh em 25 birthday Tamara!!!)

Tons of Tamara's friends came out, family - Barb, Traci, and Karla :), fellow Wood Violin family members, Miguel had a friend from Chile, my college roommate an even high school friends!!! Needless to say - it was a recipe for an excellent night!

It was a quick but great show, and now I see why everyone raves over Arlene's Grocery. It really is a great room... One of my friends got signed to two different record deals out of that room! We will definitely be back. And the club was impressed with how many people were there since we're 1st timers so well done ya'll!

The after party was fantastic (and yummy!) as well. And tomorrow... We're making sure Joel gets an excellent taste of New York as this is his first time in the city!!! Wooo Hooo!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

PS. Thanks again to Karen and David for letting us have a New Jersey home and take up your whole driveway with our trailer!!!

Sent from my iPhone

Crack is Back... I Mean Wack... Whew!

When we first saw this - a street sign was blocking the "W" and we all freaked out and thought it said "Crack is Back". Thank goodness...

UNBELIEVABLE NACA SHOWCASE TONIGHT!

It was Soooooo much fun!!!! The whole crowd was on their feet... screaming... dancing... you know... the dream. :)

Here's a couple of shots from the crowd that have already been tweeted :)




Thanks for posting Alyssa!!! It was chaos in the booth - so I wasn't able to get any pics of my own. :( But Alyssa was SOO sweet - she's on the crew for backstage - the hardest working kids at the conference! The NACA NE showcase crew was SPOT ON tonight and made everything so easy on us. THANK YOU!!!



For some reason... the band's name tags never got printed. That's had never happened before.... but it gave Ari and Jeff a chance to put their own versions of names on the tags...

"The New Guy"


"James aka Natalie's Guy Friday" What does that even mean?


This is seriously one of my favorite mascots ever now...#1 it was really unexpected to look out into the crowd and see him at the front of the stage :) SO the surprise factor was good. #2 He was the FIRST to rush the stage and started the trend that led HUNDREDS of kids to rush the stage during our show. So yeah. I <3 him.


For all you tweeters... I RT'd a bunch of them tonight. THANK YOU FOR TWEETING AND FACEBOOKING US SO MUCH!!! My favorite tweet had to be "Natalie Stovall is Elvis with a fiddle" Ahhh -mazing.


Peace. Love Fiddle.
~natalie

I am Currently Watching 2 Pac Man's

Do the "Jump on it" dance backstage...

19 Hours In... 2 More To Go

Wow folks. We're still driving. James just took back over for these last two hours. It's 7am and we left at 12:30pm from Nashville. We got to that crazy limbo point where it's almost worse to check into a hotel because we'd only get to stay a couple hours. So we're pushing through!!!

The last 2 stops though... Talk about crazy!!! Both of them just happened to be in towns where we've played recently... And we could see our hotels from the gas stations. Total coincidence. So... Hello Staunton Virginia and Mont Alto, PA yet again!

Also... Currently... Hello early morning New York City rush hour traffic. Ouch.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Sent from my iPhone

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Wrote with Mr. Pat McLaughlin again today. Man, I love that guy. When I walked in with my Starbucks cup... it was a Christmas cup. And I told him how I couldn't believe they already had the Christmas cups out! (Although, I am VERY excited about this... I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas and ANYTHING is Christmas-y)
Pat is in denial about it... not ready for it... and then later, pointed at my "Christmas cup" and told me that he wanted to be sure and be the first to wish me a Happy Valentine's day. :)

So funny. We didn't finish our song today, but he's already sent me more ideas in email... and I can't wait to work on it some more. Good thing we have a 20 hour drive tomorrow :)
Speaking of... I'm still working on that whole packing/getting ready to leave thing... Better continue with that since it is somehow suddenly 4am.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

My Sweet Safi

This morning, for the FIRST TIME EVER, I got to skype with my sweet Safi!!!!

Safianatu is the beautiful young lady that James and I sponsor in Sierra Leone. Just a year ago, she was living in horrible circumstances, had lost her family, and was hungry and weak. Now, she has gained 80+ brothers and sisters, is going to school, has meals provided for her, love surrounding her, and more than anything, has HOPE.

And through the amazing world of technology - I got to see her beautiful face, ask her about her day, and listen to her beautiful voice as she sang praises to Jesus!!! (Along with some of the other children) She even got to "meet" Cinnamon!

Thank you to everyone at the Raining Season for making this possible!!! Connecting sponsors with our children is just amazing!

Isn't the internet wonderful?

I'm a blessed girl.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Eating a Person Named Pizza

Tonight I want to share my friend, Jessie's blogpost with you. She is one of my closest friends and she recently moved to Sierra Leone, Africa to help take care of the children at the Orphanage the Raining Season has opened up there. :)
I can't think of a better person or more loving heart for the job!

Her blogs are always so fun - I wait with anticipation each day to see if she has written one. The work she is doing in Sierra Leone is bringing so much joy to these children. She is giving them love and hope and showing them just how much GOOD in the world there is. And some of these children have seen things that I cannot imagine and would not wish on anyone.

Jessie's Blog

We had a fun week with the team, celebrating birthdays, and playing football games!

Yesterday we took Betty, Sam, and Rugiatu out to eat to celebrate their birthdays this month (Cari and I decided to take all the kids 12+ who have a birthday out to eat at the end of the month.. this month we had 3 :) ) We took them to get pizza and french fries at Mamba Pointe! SO many firsts, first time at a restaurant, first time drinking coke with ice, first time having pizza AND french fries and first time having ketchup. We showed them how to eat pizza and fries with their hands. They we so interested with it all! At this restaurant they always bring out peanuts, popcorn and garlic bread before the meals... after explaining many of the meals to them Sam asked "How do you manage to know all this"... hahaha.... we have A LOT of food in America that people here have NO clue about.

We also had a funny miscommunication moment with Sam... When we told him we were going to take him for pizza I guess he thought all along we meant that we would be eating a PERSON NAMED PIZZA.... not sure how he got that idea but I'm sure when we were explaining pizza to him on the way he was freaked out and thought we were crazy! We had good conversation at dinner and it was fun to introduce them to so many new things.

Going on day 7 without running water and now we no longer have electricity upstairs... wonderful. Glad you can't smell me while I am typing this :) Tonight Cari and I were standing on the balcony staring off onto the horizon... Cari stop the silence by saying "Phew, what is that smell... it smells like pigs or something?" as I replied... "Alright Cari... lets go wash off with our buckets..." ha! Whenever we get water back it'll be such a great early Christmas present!

Here are some pictures from the week...

This kiddos at a church service... they were the guest choir... beautiful.


Saminatu and I... she said she had a headache... I think she just wanted to come into our office and sit with me. ;)


My excitement on Halloween... at least a LITTLE taste of Fall...in soda form... apple CEDAR. haha


IF you would like to visit Jessie's blog to read more...
http://anyroadanycost.blogspot.com/

And to find out more about the Raining Season and how you can help or sponsor a child... visit:
http://www.therainingseason.org/

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie