Saint Leo, Antarctica... I Mean... Florida

Life happens. Even when it isn't a major or BIG deal... sometimes the little things can keep you up at night when you need to be sleeping so you can get up and be at your best for whatever it is you do. And when singing is your job... keeping your voice healthy is a HUGE part of it.

Even though I barely slept a wink last night.... the power of Prayer along with positive thinking, and knowing my own body well... kept me singing today WAY better than I thought I would be. Isn't it amazing how that happens? I have had WAY more difficult vocal days after a FULL night of rest.

Go figure! I've been trying to practice being thankful for what I HAVE when I am tempted to focus on the things I don't have.

And at tonight's show? I was thankful for a freezing, shivering, CHAMPION of an audience that FROZE THEIR TAILS off to watch our show! The setting was a gorgeous lake, the stage was under a majestic tree with moss hanging from it, and we were surrounded by a volley ball court and free yummy tacos! We played during sunset. It was so pretty!!! But the breeze... whew! Intense! We all REALLY thought that we'd be warm in Florida. Nope. Not yet!

The students said that last year it was hot, everyone was out playing volleyball and having a beach party. But this year, the crowd was huddled into 2 clumps... around the heaters that were brought out for everyone. They were all shaking and bouncing trying to keep warm. But they stayed until the last note! My fingers were bright red - I wasn't sure how in the world they were going to work... but they did! YAY!



Clay greatly regretted his decision to work out (and not bring a change of clothes) before the show! But even still... he stayed until the last note! (He was VERY close to the heater...


I am in the back of the van. We have to drive overnight to get to Mt. Berry, Georgia for our show tomorrow. I think I'm gonna nap now, so I can take a later shift of driving.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Opening For Gretchen Wilson!!

We dropped James off this morning at the Atlanta airport at around 4:30am, and then pressed onward towards home. It started snowing right as we hit Monteagle Mountain, and didn't stop until I got home. I know this all of this unexpected snow has caused many problems and frustrations for lots of people. I know it makes it difficult for this part of the country where we aren't prepared for it. But at the same time, there is something so magical about all of this beautiful snow gracing us over and over and over again in places where we don't normally get to enjoy it!

Even on that awful drive from Augusta to Ft. Benning where the roads were almost as bad as the ones in Texas (where we had to cancel a couple of weeks ago)... it was so beautiful and majestic and storybook-like that it feels like the Universe is telling us all to pay attention. These things are what we make of it. And yes, it can be a harsh reality. But it can also be a wonderful reminder of God's beauty. So I say a prayer tonight for all that have endured hardships and loss due to this crazy weather. And I also give thanks for being surrounded by so much beauty!!!

The Gretchen Wilson show was SOOOOOOOO much fun. It was a bit disappointing that we had to do it without monitors. I kept switching my earplug from my ear to my back jeans pocket... depending on which thing I needed to hear more - my voice (earplug IN) or my fiddle (earplug out). But ideal situations rarely happen. And I was so excited that very little could have disappointed me about the show. The room was packed and the snow did NOT keep people away.

I met Gretchen in the bathroom before the show and we talked for a while about the snow and the possibility of cancellations, and then she told me about their make-shift sleds they made last week in Tennessee. I could feel my heart beating harder than normal, and I told her how cool it was to be opening for her. After we finished talking, she walked out and told someone outside "I just met Natalie in the bathroom". It was so funny! Before I could even tell the guys I talked to her, she told someone ELSE that she met ME!!!! :) That was awesome.


The show itself was awesome. The crowd was electric, and they were so gracious! I know most of them were there to see her, but they sure did make me feel the love! And we put on a great show for them. I couldn't hear my fiddle at all and at one point I looked down and saw that my E string was a D#. Not cool... but I tuned quickly and that was really the hardest part of the show. I did start getting out of breath during a few songs because my adrenaline was pumping so hard and I was putting so much into it, that my body couldn't keep up. :) That's the way it should be! It's such a high!!!
Lots of pictures have shown up on facebook... I just grabbed these two quickly... Thank you Melanie Carver for posting!



My best friend, Sarah, drove all the way down + a surprise guest to come to the show. They got stuck in traffic in Chattanooga and Atlanta, AND it snowed so hard they had to go 45 most of the way. They got there about 30 minutes after my set ended. :( After all that. But we got to hang out the rest of the night... I hated they couldn't see the show, but it was amazing to have them there. The surprise guest was my former bass player and wonderful friend Amy Sporleder!!!! Amy is now playing in Sarah's band. I still can't believe they made the long trip down there!


There are pics of Gretchen and me somewhere, but I didn't get any on my camera. I will acquire them soon, I am sure. But this is us at the merch table. Gretchen and her merch guy were both VERY gracious and let me continue selling my cd's and t-shirts throughout the night. Even when she was in the booth signing.
Here we both are signing stuff - I think this was one of the times where the audience member wanted me and her to both sign a Gretchen t-shirt:


At one point, she poured a BIG shot of Jack Daniels for herself, her merch guy, and then handed me one. When Gretchen Wilson hands you a shot, you take it. And I did. :)

A few people had her sign my shirts and cd's which was so funny to me :) Awesome, and funny. And then Sarah had me sign her Peace Love Fiddle Tee and then got in line and had Gretchen sign the other side. I liked that. :)


So the night was amazing. I have some incredible fans in Augusta and surrounding areas that showed up. We've played there at the Country Club twice before, we used to play at a bar called Coyote's, and we played at Fort Gordon last year in May. There were people from ALL of the aforementioned places. Michelle, who made a blanket during my Fort Gordon show and had me sign it last year, brought me roses AND made me a scarf which was so beautiful!!! It was just so great to have some real fan support at the show. And I can't wait to play in Augusta again! I love it there!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Oh Those Nerves

Anxiety has been on my mind today.

People are always asking, "Do you get nervous?"

And yeah, of course. But I get nervous a LOT less often than I used to. Nervousness is just a normal reaction when you are stressed or worried about something. But I never wanted to call it nerves... At least with performing.... I like to refer to it as "excitement". I always pictured those butterflies in my stomach fluttering around just getting me ready for what I was about to do... letting me know it was way cooler than a "normal activity" like eating an apple or watching tv. It's the same reason we get nervous around another person when we have a crush - your body does the same thing. You get that flutter, your heart feels like it is beating so hard other people can hear it, you start to sweat.... even if you are cold... It's just your body's way of getting excited.

Anxiety is the worst leading up to an event, though. I am always WAY more nervous for things up until I actually get on stage. Once I get on that stage, though, I know what I am there to do, and I feel at home. That comes with practice and rehearsing. If you do something enough times - so that you REALLY know it - it'll be second-nature. That doesn't mean it is easy. But it just means you'll be able to get through it :)

There was a time when anxiety would make me physically sick. And it still does to this day - sometimes I don't even realize it. I don't even know I am "stressed" about something until I get that feeling in the pit of my stomach or I feel like I am about eh em.... hurl.

But whether my sickness is caused by nerves or a stomach bug or whatever - the BEST thing is to push through it. It is the most rewarding feeling in the world to be so sick that you just don't think you can do something, but SOMEHOW make yourself get through it. That's where the real test is. And that's when you learn the most about yourself.

It all boils down to confidence. (As with so many things in life) We learn to trick our brains... or maybe I should say... train our brains to doing what we want. It comes into play with SO many different kinds of things. Believing in yourself is one of THE most important things in this life. It doesn't matter whether it is public speaking, singing, playing a sport or making friends - it is all derived from your confidence in yourself. The most popular kids in school or the biggest Hollywood stars out there have all the same fears and concerns that the rest of us do. It's just that the "popular" kids are better at hiding those concerns. I wish I had understood that when I was in middle school and high school. I wish I had understood that "popularity" is nothing more than exuding confidence. NOT Arrogance. There's a difference. :) Confidence and Compassion. Those are the keys.

I was a gymnast as a kid. I thought I was going to the Olympics. My sister was an incredible gymnast, but her injuries prevented her from continuing. Me? I got a job at Opryland.

But the cool thing was, they always had me do back handsprings and flips in the shows out at Opryland. So it made me feel like I got to continue that sport I loved so much... even though I had to quit. I got rustier as the years went on because I wasn't practicing anymore. Every time I would rev up to do a flip - if I had even a TWINGE of doubt about my ability... it wouldn't go well. I learned pretty quickly to tell myself before each flip - "you are awesome at flipping!" Most of the time it worked... but if I didn't REALLY believe it, that doubt would slip in and inevitably.... those would be the only times I would injure myself. Part of it too, was the distraction doubt would cause - I would lose concentration for a split second and forget "arms straight, spot, legs together, good jump, squeeze your butt..." all the stuff that makes up a good flip....

This topic brings to mind one of my FAVORITE stories from Kid's Club Days. My wonderful friend Janet Ivey was the adult in the show. We said a prayer each day before the shows. And this one day I was SICK AS A DOG. I had been throwing up all day. At this point I don't remember if that was a "nerves" day or a stomach flu day or what (probably nerves knowing me, though). Everyone circled up for prayer, and I was face down on the couch. Janet said "Dear God, Please help Natalie to stop blowing chunks so she can put on a good show" Ahhh.. Best prayer EVER.

But that's the thing. If you can push through, be confident, and KNOW that you can do something... you always can.

Lord, when I sang for the President? I was incredibly nervous. But I KNOW I can sing "God Bless America" so there's no reason for me to actually be nervous about it. My stomach could go crazy, my hands could shake, but I KNEW I could do it. And I did :)

Something that also helps me is to focus on the good things. I always say a prayer, and I thank God for "the gifts I have been given" and I ask him to "use me" for His will. It doesn't matter if that is singing for thousands of people or doing a speech for a class. It's all the same. It all boils down to believing in yourself and having the confidence to push through even when you don't want to. You know why? If you can train yourself to do it when it isn't a big deal... like a class or a rehearsal... or something. THEN when it IS a big deal - you KNOW you can do it!

I used to hear kids Berklee say "I really want to be in Singer's Showcase, but I am not ready to audition for it yet. I am too nervous" But I never understood that. The best way to get over being nervous about auditioning is to... AUDITION! Audition for anything and everything you can!!! And then by the time it is an audition that is REALLY important to you, you'll have that whole "audition thing" down. It took me 3 semesters to get into Showcase. But each time I learned something, made corrections, and then I made it the next 5 semesters straight.

I don't mean to be all up on my soap box tonight. But the issues of self-confidence and anxiety are all around us. And I feel like I have heard a lot about people I care about dealing with them lately. And since this is my little place to purge my thoughts - I figured I better get it out of my system. I don't pretend to have all the answers. This is all the stuff that has made sense to me over the years. I have about a million other stories that have come to mind. But I am sure I will eventually have a place for them :) So I am going to stop now.

The guys are probably wondering where I am. I left the hotel room an hour ago in a pensive mood and didn't say where I was going! :)

Peace, Love, Fiddle, and Self-confidence,
~natalie