More Nashville Flooding Pics and Video

Many people around the country don't even seem to know that we had floods in Middle Tennessee. The oil spill and other catastrophes have seemed to triumph the "front page" attention in the news.

Even though I have seen videos of downtown Nashville the past few days, nothing prepares you for seeing it in person. As we passed by this morning, it was shocking to see HOW MUCH water has engulfed downtown.

Here's a picture of downtown that I found on a friend's blog.


Last night I saw a picture album on facebook of Opryland... Opryland was my home away from home growing up and it still feels that way. I have spent most of my life doing shows there...

This is the guard shack where we would meet every morning to head into the themepark. And the brown building was where we rehearsed for EVERY show. I even rehearsed there for my Grand Ole Opry performance. This was also where my first fan letter EVER was sent when I was 10.


Many of you have been to the Opryland Hotel for vacation or Conferences...




And then the historic Grand Ole Opry House


The artists' entrance to the Opry House


Here's a video that Tim Denbo had reposted on facebook. I thought it was worth sharing.

The link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwCGz1vSh_M&feature=player_embedded#!


The video:


Text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Or visit the link below to find out how to volunteer and other ways to help.
http://www.uss.salvationarmy.org/uss/www_uss_nashville_ac.nsf/

And PRAY for Nashville!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Little Nat Fiddlin Pic

This was posted on facebook today from a friend. :)

Thanks Bryan!!! Bryan's mom - Mrs. Bone, used to ask me to come in and play violin and perform for her 4th grade class. :) I was working at Opryland at the time... and I jumped at the chance to perform for anyone who would listen.

So here I am... 4th or 5th grade, myself :)



Check out those stirrup pants. That was the hotness!

Peace. Love. And Itty Bitty Fiddles.
~natalie

Hillbilly Christmas

I have been all in the holiday spirit today!!! James and I had breakfast with friends this morning, I went Christmas shopping all afternoon, I went to see my best friend, Miss Sarah Valley Rose perform at the Christmas show she is doing with Hillbilly Casino at the Opryland Hotel, and then I wrapped presents all night! WHEW!

The show was so cute at Opryland! Sarah and I performed int he Opryland Kid's Club show together ( you know, just a couple of years ago), and have been performing together ever since!!! It was so fun to see her do a show again. She is one big ball of energy!!! And she's an incredibly talented Christian Music Artist.

Tonight she told me that they are about to tear down the last standing building from the Opryland days. The administration building with the rehearsal halls and offices (along with the guard shack we always entered through) has continued to be an active part of Gaylord Entertainment... even though the theme park closed years ago. But alas, they are about to tear it down. I know it's just buildings... but it is hard to hear that. We spent SO much of our time there. We auditioned there, rehearsed for over 10 different shows there, I got ready for my senior prom there! I got ready for my Grand Ole Opry Performance there, my first fan letter EVER was sent there, and I even rehearsed there with my current band just a little over a year ago.

I still get teary eyed when I think about the Opryland Theme park being closed. It was home for years. I just can't believe I can't ever take my kids to ride the Wabash Cannonball or the Rocking Roller Coaster or the Grizzly River Rampage. I know I will always have the memories. And that is the most important part. But I sure do miss Opryland - just like so many do. It's where I did so much of my growing up. And it feels like they are tearing down a part of my home. (Big sigh)

But I sure am thankful for everything that Opryland gave me while I was there. It was a life changer. And who knew I would figure out at 10 what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. :)

Here's to wonderful memories.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Granny Stole an Apple

Let me first say "Thank You" to anyone reading this right now. If you are, then you have personally enabled me to have a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch! ( I am pausing after every sentence or two to take a bite).
James and I took the trailer to Columbia last night when we got home.... spent most of the day lounging (ahhh!!! IT WAS SOOO GOOD) hold on....*bite*....
went to see Granny, cleaned out the Suburban (didn't start that task until 11pm... We are so weird)
*bite*...
I lied.... *2 bites*...
And THEN we decided to drive back to Nashville. Well, he got me all excited when he mentioned he was going to go buy milk so we'd have some for cereal (About the only thing good in our pantry at the moment). But when I got home, I got all busy doing stuff... unpacking... cleaning... getting ready for bed...
*bite*
I got all the way into bed, and then I realized "I HAVEN'T WRITTEN MY BLOG!!!"
*bite* MAN this stuff is good.
So I figured... well, hey! If I have to get back up, then I HAVE to go eat that bowl of CTC I had been thinking about, right? I mean, I was all sleepy.... so I need the energy. Right? (The correct response is YES no matter what the correct "answer" is)
*bite* or 2....

So back to the whole "going to see Granny" part of the day. My Granny is so awesome. I love her so much. And you would NEVER know she is 98 to look at her. She talks about how she is "losing her mind" yet she can recount story after story with fascinating and elegant detail. She told us a few stories today that I had never heard before!

One was about the only time she ever stole.

This is amazing, so I have to share.

When my Granny was 10 years old (which was 1920), her mother could not afford to take care of her. At that time there were orphanages set up for just that purpose. You didn't have to be what we normally think of as an "orphan"... if your parents couldn't afford to take care of you, churches and organizations had orphanages set up to help out. I hadn't heard her talk about the orphanage until a few years ago, but now she talks very openly about it. She always prefaces any story about the orphanage with how grateful she was to have that place to go to. It impacted her life in a HUGE way, and she loved being there because she knew it was the best thing for everyone. She and her younger sister (who I never got to know) both went there.

The orphanage was the first place she had ever seen an indoor toilet. And today she said "It had hot water in the faucet ALL day and night, and there was a basin JUST for washing your hands" (Just to put things in perspective).
She stayed there for 5 years and each year she alternated jobs.

Now for the story:
One year she waited on the "Lady's Table" as part of her daily task. She had to go into the storage closet for some reason and there were HUGE bags of apples and potatoes in the closet. She was hungry, so she took an apple and tied it up in her bloomers. When she finally retired for the evening, she went to her bedroom, took out the apple and had every intention of eating it.

But she couldn't.

The guilt of stealing overwhelmed her, and she could NOT bring herself to eat that apple.

The next day, she took the apple back to the storage room and put it back in the bag. She assured me that even though it had been in her bloomers, they cut and peeled and cooked the apples.... so it was fine :)

The funny thing is, I can't imagine her doing it in the first place. But the way it affected her? Makes SO much sense. I think it says a LOT about her character. And she did a wonderful job of instilling that kind of integrity into Mamma. Mamma is the exact same way.

It reminds me of a story that is probably James' favorite "Little Natalie" story. When I was 11, I went to an acting camp in NY. We were not allowed to talk to our parents the entire week of the camp, nor were we allowed any sweets. (Not sure what all that had to do with acting.... this was an extremely regimented and disciplined acting camp. Peter Sklar's Boot Camp Acting Workshop for Kids... I guess...)
*last bite of CTC*
Our parents did have our address, though and could send us letters in the mail. That was the only contact we could have with them.
So one day, I get a letter from my parents. I was laying in my bunk reading it. And after reading the main letter, there was this one envelope marked "FOR NATALIE'S EYES ONLY" in my Daddy's handwriting. I opened up the envelope... and there were 3 Werther's Originals Candies inside this envelope. Butterflies entered my stomach. This wave of panic overcame me.
We were NOT supposed to have ANY sugar. I had signed a 50 page contract (we had to sign EACH page - 1 parent AND me) that said I would strictly adhere to the rules. I took this stuff seriously, y'all. I just KNEW if I ate those candies, something bad would happen to me. I felt SOOOO guilty.
I asked my favorite counselor to come over to my bed. I whispered to her "My dad sent me these in a secret envelope and I don't know what to do with them". She gave me this look like "Oh no." And said "Sweetie, I can't let you have these. Hand them over" For some reason I felt like I was in even MORE trouble. There wasn't any, "Thanks for telling me. Or Thanks for being honest" Just "HAND THEM OVER". Funny thing is... she probably ate them. She was probably thinking "This poor girl... takes this so seriously, but SCORE! They are MINE now." Hehe :) That's what I am imagining right now anyway.
But I felt good about not eating them and keeping my word, nonetheless. So I guess Granny has passed down that overwhelming sense of guilt to me, too.

*drinking the milk now* mmm... so sugary!

Other than the one story, that acting camp was SO much fun. We had the opportunity to perform in front of all these agents in a beautiful off-broadway theater in NYC. It was my first time to NYC. It had actually been my first time on a plane and I had to go by myself - at 11!!!! I can't believe that looking back. But I had no fear. I just wanted to perform. It didn't matter what it took to get me there, I was going to NY!!!!

I remember getting a phone call at home and being invited by an agent to come to NYC after that. I wanted to go. But they were asking us to be there for 6 months. I had a great job at Opryland, and the thought of not getting to do Kid's Club again for something that may or may not pan out... well.... we decided to stay at home. :)
It's funny to talk about some of this stuff. I had a relatively normal childhood. But instead of sports or band... I worked a Opryland or played conventions around the country... or opened for old school country acts...
I guess not a whole lot has changed, huh?

Peace, Love, Fiddle

Happy New Year!!!!

Happy New Year!!!!

James and I are beginning the New Year out in New York City! It was fun walking around today - there were still pieces of confetti caught in the cracks of the sidewalks here and there. :) But it was eerily quite on the streets. Very few people were out and about.

I had QUITE the night last night bringing in the New Year. I spent it with some of my closest friends at a Masquerade Ball in Nashville. :) My best friend Sarah and I have been performing together since we were 10. We met doing the Kids Club show together and have had many crazy and wonderful adventures since. :) We brought in the New Year in 2000 together as Saloon girls out at the Opryland Hotel. And when we BOTH happened not to have gigs this New Year's - it was like a reunion!! I hardly ever get to see her anymore, and we both love any excuse to get all dressed up and go dancing. Plus, when else do you have an opportunity to go to a Masquerade Ball AND have incredible costumes and make-up provided FOR you?!?!? We even made it into the 70's disco party for a little while and got to see Bradley Johnson who was dancing at that party!!!! He was recently on DANCE WAR, BRUNO vs. CARRIE ANN :) And has gotten so much great exposure from doing that show. He lives in L.A. now, and we were so excited to see each other that he grabbed me, picked me up and carried me onto the dance floor!!!


I think my favorite story of the evening happened out on the dance floor at the 70's party and I MUST share. I can't remember laughing this hard in a LONG time :) So we wore saddle bags under our dresses to make the dress poof out more. This entire costume was authentic down to the last detail. (except for my French, or lack there of). Well, as I was disco-ing my little heart out - my saddle bags popped off and fell to the floor. My eyes got HUGE and Sarah and I LOST it. Our stage manager/Saint/Angel/Saviour, Heidi, saw the whole thing happen. I had squatted down with my dress around me.... trying frantically to find my lost hips... but Heidi swooped in, picked them up and carried them out of the room. When the song was done, we went backstage and put them back on me... but it was hysterical. Definitely will NOT forget that moment.

So here we are in the FULL costumes along with our escorts:



Here's a close-up. You know the best part? I smiled for every picture the entire 4 and 1/2 hours of the party.... my cheeks were hurting before we even took our first break. BUT YOU CAN'T SEE MY FACE.... I knew that. But I see a camera.... I smile. It's a habit that apparently can't be broken!




So Happy New year!!! I hope it was wonderful whether you sat on the couch and kept it low-key or attended a big fancy glittery party!!! Here's to the best year yet!

Memories of Opryland

Look at what showed up today!!!! As I sit here watching the first snow of the season, catching up with family, and realizing just how much I have to be thankful for, I get back to my hotel room and the first thing I see in my inbox is a picture of me from the Tennessean at age 10 auditioning for Opryland!

When I was on my honeymoon this summer, I had gotten a phone call from someone at NPR who was doing a documentary on Opryland. Because I was on a cruise, we never ended up catching up for an interview. I hate that I didn't get to contribute. Opryland was such an HUGE part of my life. It shaped my childhood and who I am as a person and performer. The people in the Opryland Kid's Club became family and they taught me how to communicate my love for singing, dancing, and playing the fiddle with the world. Especially Ms. Janet Ivey - the adult "kid" in the show. She was the best mentor any kid could ever have. It breaks my heart that the park is gone.... it was made into a mall. After spending 4 years of my life working in the Kid's Club and in a Country Christmas at the hotel, I always dreamed of going back every summer and eventually taking my kids there one day. But SO MANY share my feelings and love and longing for Opryland.
"Memories of Opryland" is premiering on WNPT in Nashville on November 30 at 7:00pm. I can't wait to see it!


This was the infamous audition where I played "Orange Blossom Special" on the fiddle. They asked me to sing and I said, "I have never sung for anyone before" They said "That's ok, sing anything! 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' or 'Happy Birthday'" I sang Happy Birthday, got a callback, and then got the job!!! Best thing that ever happened to me. Of course I had just made the team in gymnastics. I remember Mamma coming in the gym to tell me I got the job. I couldn't contain my happiness! I NEVER expected to get that job! I did 13 back handsprings in a row, ran around a few times, and then cried cause I realized I had to quit the team. But I think I made the right choice!

This picture was in the Tennessean. Plus they interviewed me after I got off stage for a tv show... This is where it all began, folks...

Natalie Stovall, 10, right, auditions for the Opryland Kid's Club Show at the Roy Acuff Theatre. Young performers will be cast for the first time in the Opryland theme park's 21-year history for the musical variety show. Stovall was chosen from the tryouts to return for a later audition. (Nina Long / The Tennessean) 4/6/1992

For more pictures and stories:
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=DN&Date=20081126&Category=FEATURES01&ArtNo=811260806&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=52

The Jack is always so much fun!

An amazing group of people were sitting at the table closest to the stage - they were really impressing me on the "Funky Music Dance" - Jim, as I came to find out later, just about had the best "wiggle" of anyone I have ever seen. I think it must be because he is from Scotland :) The whole table was from Scotland and they cheered every time I said Y'all! :) Which only made me the happiest southern girl in the room! It was Dave and Sandra's 25 wedding anniversary - so we made them dance to a little Marvin Gaye :) It was awesome.



And THEN!!!!!! The tallest guy I have ever seen walked up to buy a cd. I had played Rocky top for him earlier cause I noticed his UT hat.... WOW. And look at how cute his girlfriend is!!! She is so tiny and he is.... 6'10" Yeah. I was really excited to stand next to him. Thanks for letting me take this pic, Justin! I wonder what the world looks like from up there :)