America's Next Great Star

I'm sitting in the back of the van... watching John Mayer on DVD heading SOUTH!

We're driving through Atlanta at the moment. Even though we've had the week off... this is the third time we've made this drive in a week! On our way back from Ft. Benning.... I popped down here and back yesterday.... and then we're passing through on our way to Jacksonville. Sometimes I sit back and look at my life from outside myself and just smile. I always wanted this. It's been way harder than it is now. Parts of it may get easier some day. But whatever form it takes... I just want to keep these wheels a rolling and never stop this train. :)

On Saturday night after I accepted my awards at APCA, I was asked to be a judge on America's Next Great Star. Think American Idol/America's Got Talent... but one that comes to you! Campuses can hire the show, "The Live Entertainment Experience" and audience members get to participate. After the judges select 3 top acts, the audience gets to text for their favorite. They do the WHOLE show - from auditions, to interviews and testimonials that they air as the person is walking on stage to perform... multiple camera angles shown on the projectors during the show... It's really a cool thing.

The student that won APCA's won $250, their tape will be sent to "industry professionals" in Nashville, New York, and L.A. The winners of the campus-wide tour have a chance to win $15,000.

It was so fun being a judge. And it was HARD! There were some VERY talented students and participants. I loved being a part of the show, and I was so glad they asked me to judge.

It was fun because they actually got to play with a live band. It's a band that was showcasing at APCA and they do "live band karaoke". The students had to pick from a list of songs (just like Idol) but they actually got to play with a live band! So cool.

I highly recommend the show. Campus advisors were asking me questions later... and they really do a great job of capturing the entire experience. I'm a fan!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

I WON! I WON!!!

I won in Best Band and Best Performer (the over-all entertainer category). AND Ari won for Best Agency!

What a day. I can't believe I won BOTH awards I was nominated for. The awards are beautiful and HEAVY! These are the APCA awards (The Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities) I got to see so many school and peeps that we have played for recently - it's like a giant reunion of a bunch of my favorite schools! And thank you Augusta State for trying to chant that you love me at the same time... I didn't hear it, but I heard ABOUT it later! AWESOME.

Ari and Me with our awards!


Ari and Me with Eric Lambert, the Executive Director of APCA


"Bill Clinton" and me


"Bill Clinton" and "George Bush" singing a duo in the bar where everyone hangs out after the awards ceremony. I really wanted to show "George Bush" a picture of me and the real President Bush... but it turns out talking to faux "Bush" seems as difficult as speaking to the real one :)


Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Atlanta-Bound

So I'm wrapping up another few days at home to head back out on the road. Tomorrow, however... is very different!

I am driving to Atlanta, picking up James at the Atlanta airport, and then we are headed to the APCA National Conference. But not to perform!!! :)

I was invited to the awards banquet that is taking place tomorrow night because well... the awesome nominations we received this year!!! We are nominated for Best Band and Best Performer. I still can't believe it. And I can't believe that we are actually able to attend. I have been nominated in other categories in previous years, but I have never been able to attend the awards banquet because of our schedule on the road. We just happened to have this week blocked off for me to write!!! I am pretty excited about going to see everyone that I have worked with over the last year that attends APCA. It becomes such a big family; the agents, the students, the artists... And these conferences are actually some of the only times I get to spend time with my own agent, Ari. That's always a good time. :) Oh, Ari.

And Ari was actually nominated for Best Agency!!! So really, we are all just stoked about the recognition. The students and people involved in campus activities are the ones that vote on these awards.

I also found out that I am nominated in the other college association I work closely with... NACA. I am nominated for Best Female Performer and Best Music in that one. CRAZINESS!!!

Wish me luck!!!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

APCA Houston, Rockstar Babies, and Crazy Dreams

We're in a very stinky Comfort Inn somewhere in Mississippi. But I am so tired... I don't even care. Maybe it will inspire some crazy dreams. The other night I had a dream that Hootie and Justin were going on tour in Thailand with some music they had written together....

Congratulations to Charlie and Amy Hutto!!!!! There's a new rockstar baby in the world today - Jackson Chad Hutto. Charlie is a good friend, one of my favorite co-writers, and has been a band member throughout the years as well. Yay!!!

We played our final College Booking Conference of the year today. That's hard to believe. But next year is filling up like crazy. And it's gonna be SUCH a good year.

I love APCA and NACA because I meet SO many new people, hang with tons of cool performers, and see lots of old friends, too! There were 9 kids from UT Tyler which I just played on Tuesday - and their table was right up front during my showcase. So I had lots of friends in my corner yelling for us before they even introduced us! :) That makes such a big difference!!!

This is the lead singer of Fly Gypsy (a hip hop/ rock/ reggae band) and a beautiful poet who were both in my showcase.


AND Street Drum Corps!!!!


It was funny because it was Tim's first showcase with us. We have done so many this year, but he hasn't been with us on any of them yet. :) And he almost ended it with a splash!!! He was dangling off the edge of the stage on the last note and almost ended up in the monitor console! But whew, he got back on balance just in time.

Our next show is in West Virginia so we went ahead and got a few hours under our belt as soon as we finished up with the showcase. Tomorrow... we get to drive ALLLLLL day. :) Life on the road!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

APCA Northeast

So, I have to share this. Mamma showed Granny the picture of Kaleigh's tattoo today, and Granny said that it made her feel like a celebrity! :) I though that was awesome.

We had another great conference today at APCA Northeast in Verona, NY. It was the first time we've played a showcase where the exhibit hall/marketplace (which is where all the agents' booths are) was in he same place as the showcase room.

Doing 15 minute showcases is always such a weird thing. At least for us artists. It's a lot of fun now that I feel like we have gotten more of a hang of it. After showcasing at different regions over the last 3 years, we have really started to get a better rhythm with it.

But you've only got 15 minutes to go out, impress impress impress, and then you're DONE. Well... and then you go stand in your booth and hope and pray for bookings. There's a LOT of hurry up and wait between soundcheck, the actual show, and then your time at the market place. Normally I get a HUGE adrenaline rush, and the whole thing is over before I know it. But for whatever reason today, I felt like I was in slow motion. Everything was moving at the same pace, but the whole atmosphere was different. You just never know!! That happens sometimes with regular shows, too. But it was a unique experience for me today. Miguel said he shared in that experience with me, today.

The booth was CRAZY today. I hope they don't ban me from giving out cookies. The carpet looked as though I had thrown cookies down on the floor and stomped on them. The booth was absolute chaos the entire marketplace. :) The way I like it!

We are staying in a crazy Comfort Inn in Mansfield, Ohio right now - It has "Splash Lagoon" in it. It's basically a really awesome indoor and outdoor pool with waterfalls and slides and stuff. The crazy thing? We've stayed here before. And last time we checked in really late and were just gonna have to get up and go in the morning. One day, I will go play in the Splash Lagoon!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Ashland Band Shell

After an odd, but good night's sleep, the guys and I went exploring in Ashland Ohio. They have one of the more impressive gas station/ food marts I've ever seen! Starbucks, Popeyes, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and eh emm... a "Sweet Counter" : )

We discovered even more mattresses in the parking lot in the daylight. :) This place is hilarious.

The Ashland Band Shell we played today was REALLY cool. It's their 60-year anniversary and there were pics in the hallways of the Glen Miller Orchestra playing there. So many people from the community came out tonight. It was a gorgeous night for a concert in Ashland and the rain held off until after we finished packing up!

Millie and I made friends immediately! She hung out with me before and after the show. Sweet puppy. There were so many awesome dogs at the show, and I wanted to run off stage and hug them all during the show. But I didn't...


She saw us at APCA in Atlanta and then came to see us here in Ohio!


These two were walking by right after we finished sound check. Apparently, we didn't scare them off!!! They were still here 3 1/2 hours later after the show!


More awesome people!

APCA... 2 Years Ago

Whoa.

I got a google alert for a new video posted and I figured it was from a recent performance at a show. :) Buuuuuuuut NOPE!!! It is from almost 2 years ago. This was from our first National APCA (Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities) Conference. My.... how far we've ALL come :) I forgot about this hairdo! I LOVE doing my hair like that but just haven't in a while. :) This was one of Hootie's first gigs with us.... his hair is so shaggy, I'm still playing my wood fiddle, Miguel has REALLY short hair, Charlie was still with us, James still wore his Red Sox hat onstage, and we just start "Devil" outright without any kind of intro!!

This is one of those conferences where we only have 15 minutes and I LOVE our song selection :)

We JUST did this conference again about a month ago (you're only allowed to do the national conferences every OTHER year). We had one of the best conferences we have EVER had at this last one. And it's pretty eye opening to see how we approached this show 2 years ago compared to a month ago. I have to say that I am so happy that my "best" song is no longer a ballad. :) I love "If I Run to You Now' but it sure helps to have more of an uptempo song when you only have 15 minutes for the whole set!

Enjoy this blast from the past! I sure did!


Peace, Love, Fiddle,
~natalie

Whoops.

We were all just laughing so hard!! That was so funny.

We walked into the hotel a back way. We had come in the front earlier. So I guess we were a little turned around. Once we got up to third floor, we all looked at each other to see who remembered what room we were in. I thought it was 316. Miguel thought it was 317. It's 2:30am... Hootie and I both very quietly tried our keys in 317. No go. Red light.
So we then very quietly tried our keys in 316. Nope. Another red light. Then we all burst into laughter. :) Where the heck is our room???

Hootie said, "Wait! I know I put the 'Do Not Disturb sign up" and then someone said, I think it was 307??? So we walked all the way down the hall, around the corner.... and THEN things started looking familiar. There was a 'Do Not Disturb: sign on 307, and Hallelujah! Our key worked! :) Whew. Sooooo funny.

I'm surprised that hasn't happened more! I mean, we stay in a different room every night. But usually one of us remembers where we are!

Tonight we played at Wild Wing Cafe in Asheville, NC. It was another REALLY good show. (other than Halloween, which was INSANELY PACKED) It was the most packed show we've ever had there before. There were quite a few repeats, but a whole lot of newbies at this show. It's fun at a sports bar during March Madness :) Everyone is SO hyped up for the games, and then we just get to be the afterparty :)

We had a few mishaps, though. As James was setting up his drum throne - he noticed it was busted. So he ended up having to play in a folding chair with the rug I normally use folded to give him a little more height.

Miguel had a rough night, too. His guitar amp kept shorting out. I modified the set a little bit to try to cover. We ended up playing all of "Never Call Me By My Name" without guitar. But at least I can play fiddle on the whole thing since Hoot sings it!

He checked all the electrical hook-ups, they were all fine. So he figured it was the amp itself - he even switched some tubes inside the amp... but it kept happening the whole night.

At the end of the night, he plugged his guitar into my amp, and YUP!!! It's his guitar. At least he knows the problem. We're about to go on a band "spring break" so he'll have time back in Nashville to get it fixed!

But other than the technical difficulties, it was a great night!

At the very beginning of the night - before the show had even started, this little boy named Tyler came up to me and handed me a crayon and piece of paper (that he had already drawn all over). He asked for my autograph :) I autographed the paper, and then I asked him if he wanted a poster. He was really shy, but when I asked that, he nodded so big that he shook his entire body!!! :) So sweet.


Fred is one of my favorite bouncers. He always takes such good care of us. And he definitely did his job tonight. One guy had to be taken out of the bar for taking a swing at another customer (scary). And another poor guy passed out sitting up at his table during "Devil Went Down To Georgia". I had a hard time concentrating on the song because people were slapping him in the face trying to get him to wake up. It took them a good 20 minutes to get him back to a point where he was coherent. I had NEVER seen that before. I thought Fred was gonna have to carry him out of the bar!


These guys got SOOOOO excited when we sang David Allan Coe. He was playing next door at the Orange Peel tonight, so I sent it out to everyone who couldn't go to the concert, but came to see us instead :) I don't even think they noticed there was no guitar on the song - they were singing too loud!!! One of the guys even stole one of my posters off the wall and had me sign it :)


I LOVED this couple!! They were so complimentary of my originals, and they said they liked them more than the covers we were playing (and they knew EVERY WORD to the covers we played tonight). So yeah, these 2 rule. :)


The guy to the right of me asked me when I was playing Ft. Bragg. :) Ummmm... can you say coincidence!?!?! Ft. Bragg booked us 2 days ago for next year!!!


Hootie sang "Free Falling" tonight. A bunch of people wanted to buy cds and t-shirts, and we had already done all of Hoot's songs in the set. I called "Free Falling", cause I figured they could vamp on the intro. But Hootie started singing, which I had never heard him sing that one before!!! And it was a good thing, cause it took me the whole song to take care of everyone!!! :)

And in other news, my agent kept texting me today. We had 63 forms today (basically bookings) - 34 schools and 29 military bases, and it is only day 2 of the conference. Ya'll, that is NUTS! He said it was more than double of any other act so far. That blows my mind!!! I don't know what was so different about this conference. But everything just came together. And the military is being so great to us. They are already talking about shows that I am bursting to talk about. But I'll wait until everything is official. It's so great to know we'll have work for another year. We were nervous going into this conference because we know that everyone is suffering budget cuts, and you just never know.... But we have shows on the books now until July 4, 2010. And I know Ari - this is only the beginning! He'll get on the horn. In our experience with past conferences - most of the booking happen later anyway. So yeah. Life is WONDERFUL right now. But now I need to go finish all these new songs so we can get a new project recorded. :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle. And the right hotel room.
~natalie

Greenville, South Carolina

This morning I spoke on a panel at APCA called "Rolling Out the Red Carpet." Boyd Jones from Winthrop University (and Columbia TN!!!) put this Ed Session together for the students. There were a couple of agents, a couple of artists, and then a poet, and a speaker.

The students were given a chance to ask questions, and we all just had a general discussion about the details that go into making the best show possible - for the schools, the agents, and the artists. :) It was a great panel, and it was fun to be a part of.

After that, I went to the co-op to see what that was like. Co-op is where the schools who are already interested in booking an artist have the chance to block book and work with other schools (which makes it cheaper). If 5 to 7 schools in a row book us all within driving distance of one another, then of course the price comes down.

When they announced my name, it felt a bit like being auctioned off :) I mean, it was AWESOME, but it was really strange to be sitting in the back of the room, with my little hat on, looking all incognito... and watching schools fight over dates and yelling across the room to work with each other. It looked like a bunch of commodities brokers! Absolute chaos. But it is an incredible feeling to know that we'll have work for at least the rest of the year. And we've already gotten booked for 4th of July in 2010, plus other dates in 2010. Wow. :)

James and I went back to the hotel, picked up the guys, and then we headed to Bosphorus. That is the Cymbal company that James endorses. Their main office is in Kennesaw Georgia, just north of Atlanta, so James always tries to stop in when we are close. Plus, it means he gets to try out a bunch of new cymbals :) He bought some hit-hats and a crash cymbal, which he played tonight! James was a happy boy.

So then we headed out to Greenville, South Carolina. We played at Wild Wing Cafe there tonight. We played there almost a year ago, so it has been a while since we have been back! Greenville has the cutest and most adorable downtown. I LOVE it. But we have never had enough time to explore. This is one of those places I would love to come back to when I can really spend some time. They had an outdoor concert going on (which was happening last year, too). And there are tons of cute little shops and restaurants with outdoor patios.

The show was awesome. This is one of my favorite Wild Wings we play. Load in is the hardest - it is an old building with... no elevator.... and we play on the second floor. Loading our entire trailer up stairs is never fun, but these strong boys can handle it :) Clemson was playing when we got there, and they had the game showing on 2 huge screens on stage. We wouldn't DARE get in the way of the screens, so we just waited until the game was over to actually set up on stage. The game was SOOO close.... but Clemson lost :( It was sad. The place was packed and they all just looked demoralized. So we lost a whole lot of the crowd before we even started... they all were slowly filtering out with their tails tucked between their legs... not really in the mood to hang out.

But those that stayed? And then those that came in and filled the place back up? QUALITY audience!!! They were so much fun. Everyone was dancing and singing and I remember seeing a lot of hilarious stuff happening from stage. :)

When I first walked in, my friend JEFRE T! (That's his myspace handle) was already there, and he had brought a CROWD! He was at the show last year, and he brought his wife and tons of friends to the show tonight!


This guy was at our show in Cape Carteret - at the The Dive last year. (We were the last band to play there before they had to shut their doors. Sad) But he told me the coolest story. He said he had brought (I think it was) his niece to the show at the Dive. She played the violin when she was growing up, but hadn't played in years. He said after they came to my show, she has been playing ever since. How cool is that!?!?! That makes me so happy to hear.


Howard The Disco Cowboy!!!! Howard won that buckle in a dance contest believe it or not! He is one of the most fun people to watch dance. I don't know how he does some of the stuff he can do. It is impressive! He used to line dance at the Wildhorse on TNN when that station was still around. And he also ballroom dances - his parter is from South America. Yay Howard! We love you!


Cowboy Hoot! When Hootie sang Hank Jr. - Howard couldn't resist giving his hat to Hoot!


Dana (on the right) was at the show last year, too! He and his friend had me sign a poster last year for another bar in town. He said it is still up in that venue - I've never played there, I just signed a poster for them :) And then someone else later in the evening was telling me how he had seen my poster in this other place and got excited!


These guys both came up on stage to take advantage of their free hugs :) One hugged me, the other hugged Hootie!


This guy was so much fun to watch. He was cuttin a rug out on the dance floor! It was AWESOME!


So yeah, we had a great night in Greenville. It may have been a Thursday, and Clemson may have lost, but that didn't stop these Greenvillians! They still partied just as hard or even harder!

You wanna know something awesome? We have a late check-out tomorrow. :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.

APCA Nationals!!!

I'm in a bit of a haze right now. We all got very little sleep last night.... And it's been a looooooong day. But it is one of those exhausting days that makes you feel so good - the exhaustion is how you KNOW it's been a great day.

We drove to Atlanta this morning (left at 6am.... and this is a group that usually goes to bed around 5am....) well... I say "we". JAMES drove. Sometimes I don't know how he does it. But he always does on the most important days - especially when I need to sleep to rest my voice.

We played at APCA Nationals tonight. We were the closing act for the opening showcase. And WHAT A CROWD!!!! The showcase was in the Grand Ballroom of the Sheraton in downtown Atlanta, and the place was packed.

Not gonna lie.... I felt pretty cool when I saw the line-up for the showcase. :)

The whole thing was incredible. The first guy was the most energetic man I have ever seen. He had a HUGE conga line going, then he had the entire audience singing "Summer Lovin" - it was the best way to start of the show. He got everyone pumped up for the rest of the entertainers!

Louis Ramey from Last Comic Standing was the first comedian in the showcase. He was HILARIOUS!!! I love this guy.


The next act was a singer songwriter who went out with just his guitar. His name was Austin and he had a ridiculous voice - impressively high for a guy. And then Alexandra McHale was on. We did a show with her in Philadelphia last year at St. Joseph's University, and she and I were both nominated for "Best Female Performer" in campus Activities magazine this year. She's a regular on VH1's "I love the 80's" and she is very funny.

Then this really inspiring and beautiful poet named Shanelle performed. And then it was our turn. In these showcases, you have exactly 15 minutes to get out there and show your stuff. :) And we BROUGHT IT tonight. I felt like it was the best showcase we've ever had. And this was a really important one. Not only were tons of schools here, but LOTS of military representatives were there as well. We knew it was an important night and we left everything we had out on the stage. I always like to be as far in front as possible - but tonight that meant I had to sacrifice having any kind of monitors. It wasn't that big of a deal. I could hear just enough from the main speakers out front to know what I was doing, so I just went with it. A big group got up and did the electric slide during "Beat It" in the medley :) It made me so happy.

After the show, they have what they call a "marketplace" where all the artists and buyers get 1 hour to meet and talk. And the people who are interested in booking on-site fill out "Strong Interest Forms". And then there are tons of other booths and activities going on in the marketplace... it's not just for the performers and their agents. Tonight I saw "make your own chapstick", inflatable laser tag, and yes.... a monkey. Well. I didn't get to see the monkey which made me sad. But Hootie and James did!!!





I made a whole bunch of new friends and got to hang with a ton of old friends!!! When I first got to the booth, there was another artist standing there. I recognized him, so I figured (since he was with my agency) that we had performed together before. And THEN I realized - NOPE. We haven't ever performed together. It was Dan Evans from the Biggest Loser!!! I LOVE that show. He and his mom were on it together. Dan just signed with my agent, so he came to the conference to check it out and see what it is all about. It was so cool to meet him and his brother!


Lori and Elizabeth from USAO in Chickasha, Ok came and sported their "Natalie Stovall" t-shirts!! It made me so happy when I saw them :) this is the shirt that Elizabeth brought to our show because she had forgotten to have me sign last year when we played at USAO. :) I love these girls.


This lady hired us to play at Ft. Benning in Georgia. That still goes down as one of my all-time favorite shows. We played for the soldiers who were about to finish up boot camp. My Daddy did his OCS training there, so he and Mamma got to come to the show. Man, that was an awesome event. You can check out a quick clip of the soldiers singing LOUDER THAN ME on the beginning of "Devil Went Down To Georgia" It was 100º that day. whew. Ft. Benning Video


Look at those HATS!!!! I want one.


And then we ran into some friends from Berklee. Their agent had actually asked if he could borrow Hootie's bass stand for a band that needed it in the showcase after us. But we had NO IDEA that we knew the guys in the band!!! How fun :) It's just been like a big ole Berklee Reunion this week.


So yeah. It was a GREAT night. We got more strong interest forms than we've EVER gotten in one night. There are some really amazing opportunities on the horizon, and if ANY of them pan out - well... then we're gonna have some wild adventures in the near future!

I have SOOOOO many great pics from tonight. I've already posted them all on my facebook page, and I will have them up on my myspace page in the next couple of days. I'm speaking on a panel about how to make college events a "win, win, win" for artists, agents, and schools, bright and early tomorrow.... no rest for the weary. But I am excited. It's fun to be successful enough at something that someone actually values your opinion.

The best thing about tomorrow though has to be that Greenville is only 2 hours away!!! Do you know how EASY of a drive that is?!? Good Lord I am excited.

Peace. Love. Fiddle. and Awesomeness On The Way.

Peace, Love, Fiddle, and Bre Strong!

Good News!!!

I just found out that I have been nominated for APCA's "Female Solo Artist of the Year"!!! WOW!!!! I am so excited!!!
First, Campus Activities Magazine and now APCA, too! (APCA stands for Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities)
I sure was excited about going to college my whole life - especially when I was frustrated with the artistic limitations of my high school. Colleges seem to be the "gift that keeps on giving" in my life though!!! My personal experience at Berklee was more than I ever hoped for. And now, I spend so much of my time getting to play at the greatest schools in the country. It's great - it's all the fun parts of college - no homework... I just show up for the party! :)

Today was a good day for my soul. I spent the first half of the day with my best friend, Sarah Valley. Sarah and I met on our first day of orientation at the Opryland Kid's Club. Her mom was giving birth to her youngest brother that day - so we always celebrate our "friendship anniversary" on Nathan's birthday. :) Been almost 17 years now!!!! Crazy!!! We've spent so much of our lives performing together, singing, dancing, going to concerts.... SO many good times. :) I LOVE that girl.

www.myspace.com/sarahvalley




And tonight I surprised my sister's girls and went to have dinner with them. All I remember doing all night was LAUGHING. We were telling our favorite stories of the girls. My sister, Stephanie, has 3 girls, Bailey, Shelby, and Ansley. One of my favorites of Shelby: we went to see "Beauty and the Beast" at the IMAX and when it was over, she said REALLY loud so everyone could hear "Mommy. Rewind it!!!"
Adorable.

We went to have ice cream at the Marble Slab, and the girls all bought me a dress for my birthday since I won't be home. We had so much fun!!!


When we got home, Ansley was watching The Opryland Kid's Club Video. That thing has been in heavy rotation in our family for years!!! She was so sweet watching it - she kept saying "Look! Natalie! You're on tv! WATCH WATCH!" :)

And then Shelby read me her favorite book of all time. It is so silly and adorable. "The Dumb Bunnies' Easter":


Look at that cute ring Bailey helped me pick out!!! :) I am SUPER excited about it.

So yeah. Good day. It's such a blessing to be surrounded with such supportive and loving friends and family. I am so thankful every day for what I have. James and I are both so blessed, and especially now that our two families are joined. We don't get to see ANY of them as much as we'd like, but I'm sure ANYONE who is reading this could say that about their own friends and family. It's not about being on the road.... or living far apart.... or even living in the same town. One of my favorite quotes/thoughts is from James' Dad. He says "Two people can be thousands of miles apart and be closer than 2 people who live in the same house."
It is SO true.


Before I close up shop for the night, I want to leave you with one more thing. I have to tell you about my friend Bre. She is one of the stronget and most beautiful women I know. A few months ago, I got an ecstatic phone call from Bre. She was sharing with me that she is pregnant. Lots of hollerin, clapping, and grinning so hard my cheeks were hurting ensued after she told me the news. Well, a few weeks later she called back with a much more serious tone. She had found out that she had breast cancer and would need Chemotherapy. I had NO IDEA it was safe to have chemo while being pregnant. But let me tell you.... Bre is a fighter, and if there is ANYONE in this world who can get through this, it is her. I tell you all of this because I think she is an inspiration. She is as radiant as I have ever seen her, yet I know she is going through one of the toughest stages of life. I only hope I can face all of life's challenges with her spirit. She reminds me of my Granny who kicked Breast Cancer's butt at the age of 86!!! Who does that?!?! Granny. She never flinched. And that is exactly how Bre is. Breast Cancer? Preggers? Bring it on!!!

This is Bre "getting one more laugh in before ALL her hair fell out" Yeah Mo-hawks!!!


And the day it all fell out. How beautiful is she?!?


A friend has set up a website for her and they are selling "Bre Strong" bracelets and t-shirts to help raise money for the astronomical medical costs. I can't WAIT to get mine!!! We are leaving so early tomorrow for Arkansas that I won't be able to pick mine up until we come back in a month. But I thought I would share in case anyone is interested!!! I know we have all been directly or indirectly affected by cancer of some kind. Whether it is friends, family, ourselves, co-workers. And something so simple - a $5 purchase of a bracelet will go a LONG way to help Bre and her sweet baby and her husband make it through this tough time in their lives.

http://brestrong.giving.officelive.com/

Peace, Love, Fiddle, and Bre Strong!!!
~natalie

"A Major Award!!!"

Whoa! My agent just sent me an email that read as follows:

"Natalie Stovall has been nominated in the Best Female Performer category in the annual Campus Activities Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards."


ME?? I bet it was the rice krispie treats! :)

That's pretty awesome! I am so excited to be nominated! You have to be a member of Campus Activities to vote, so if I have performed at your school and you liked us.... then please vote! The voting begins wih the announcements in the January issue of Campus Activities Magazine.

(kudos to anyone who gets the special holiday movie reference in the title)



Peace, Love, Fiddle