Tour Diary #4 Part 1!!!

It is so nice to be home, and especially when a friend truly needs you. It is rare that I am able to be there for my friends these days (at least, physically). But today, my best friend, Sarah texted me and was in a bit of a panic. She has a really big weekend of gigs coming up, but tonight she was leading worship at her church in Hendersonville. Every Wednesday she and her band provide the music for the middle schoolers' worship service at First Baptist Church. But today... she had NO voice. She actually had to go get a steroid shot JUST to be able to sing... ughh...

She emailed me the songs, I listened intently on my way to Hendersonville, and was able to help take the weight off of her voice. I don't feel like I did that much. She still sang lead... but I do know how much it helps to have someone else providing support whether in unison or harmonies. It makes it SO much easier to sing. It was so much fun! There were a couple hundred 6th, 7th, and 8th graders there. And the whole service is really well done.

And it was awesome because my oldest niece, Bailey, was able to come to the service! She had a bunch of friends there and the church is right down the road from her.
And then Bailey and I met my sister, brother-in-law and her little sisters at Red Robin for dinner. BONUS!!!!!!!!


Alright y'all... As promised... Tour Diary #4 Part 1!!!!!! This is turning out to be a 3 part series... get ready :)

For anyone who gets this blog via facebook... here's the link! I JUST realized the videos don't automatically post.... duh... Sorry for not posting links before now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo2a-jCi5DE

And for all of you here on Blogspot... ENJOY!


Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Santa Needs a Swimsuit

It's been a LOOOONG day of driving. And I think I drove a stretch of interstate I've never driven before! We drove through Chattanooga and up to Knoxville. When you're coming from Nashville to get somewhere - you either go through one or the other... you never go through BOTH. It was weird.

But we got to stop at our favorite exit of the last 6 months - Hattiesburg Mississippi - for lunch! We have eaten in Hattiesburg way more times than we've eaten lunch at home since the summer!!! And we've never even played a show there! It's so funny how sometimes we get routed in ways where we keep stopping at the same place around the same time of day. McCallister's is usually our restaurant of choice. :) Some of the locations still have chocolate spoon cake!!!! MMMMmmmmm.

You something that's funny?? We were sitting in Red Robin (mmm Red Robin) tonight and Christmas songs were playing. I had this realization that I bet Christmas songs in America sound really funny to Miguel. It's summertime in Chile right now! He said that he always feels sorry for Santa Clause - when he has to make appearances outside... that red suit get HOT.

Snow, sitting by the fire, hot chocolate, bundling up - American Christmas songs all have SO much of that in them! And for Miguel, well... it's going swimming and suntan lotion and short sleeves.

It's all about perspective. :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Virginia Wesleyan College

We played Virginia Wesleyan tonight. This is the second school so far that we have returned to for a 2nd show! They had a huge Seafood dinner for everyone along with a DJ and well.... US! SO fun :)

It was a GORGEOUS day. Couldn't have really gotten any prettier. Not a cloud in the sky. 70 degrees. Yeah. Awesome day for an outdoor event!!! It was the PERFECT day to model my new clothes I got in Providence on our sleepy shopping spree :) I usually don't like to shop... I either don't find much I want or I refuse to pay the ridiculous price tags on the things that I do want... BUT NOT IN PROVIDENCE!!! We found a Delia's in the mall... which I had never seen an actual store of! I used to get the catalogues as a kid.... but never seen a store. So I sported my "ManEater" graphic tee along with my fun crazy jeans :) Sorry to be so girlie right now... but I was REALLY excited!

These were the girls that took care of us ALLLLLL day and night!!!


This was one of the Deans!!! I love that she came out. She's a big country fan. I actually met and talked with the President of the school for quite a while at soundcheck. It is always so cool to get to meet the President and Deans of a renown School like Virginia Wesleyan College!


This is WAC - they are the group of students that put on this event :)

I am proofreading and just made myself laugh out loud.... sounds like I am getting all ghetto on y'all. "This is WAC! Fo Shizzle"

And here we are in my favorite GIANT CHAIR!!!!!! I was SOOOO hoping these huge chairs would be back this year. I love them.


This is Scott. We have been talking back and forth for WEEKS now on facebook about this show. He was gonna rally the front row lawn chair peeps... he ended up being stuck in 4 hours of traffic and being late.... but he made it for most of the show!!! It was really cool to see him after talking and corresponding so much. Felt like we were old friends :) I love facebook.


These girls ran my merch table for me during the show. They were SO sweet. I had no idea they were gonna be there, so we didn't get to talk before the show. They had to find everything out themselves.. Me and my 3 crazy bags of merchandise.... But they figured it all out and were so helpful!


Hannah and Carter were Adorable. Hannah plays piano... but "when she's done with that, she's gonna start playing the violin" :) Pretty cool, huh? She's got a plan! Obviously - there were a few cameras going here. FOCUS NAT!


I love what I do. And I love when we are asked back to a campus to do "what we do" a second time around. We had a lot of fun today. I just love being outdoors. It's good for the soul.

Now we head to Texas. But instead of staying in random hotels the next 2 nights... drumroll PLEASE!!! We get to stay at HOME in Nashville!!! LOVE it when it works out that way :) Miguel and I were trying to figure out if he left his car at our apartment on this last trip... but neither of us could actually remember leaving Nashville. That's funny...

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

P.S. We ate at Red Robin for dinner. Just like we did last year... but there was no carnival in the parking lot next door like last. But it mattered not, for Red Robin IS off the Hizzle!!

Running Down A Dream

Today was a really good food day :)

We ate lunch at Red Robin my FAVORITE!!! It was on Stephen King Dr. - creepy....
And tonight we ate at a Boston Market! I am so bummed they don't have any in Nashville anymore. That place is SO good. I used to stop by the one next to my apartment in Boston when I needed good veggies but didn't have time to cook them myself. :)

We left Maine this afternoon at check out and just decided to drive until LOST came on. It is the first time we have all gotten to watch Lost when it actually comes on tv so far this season! :) It was nice not to have to rush anywhere today. We only have to drive 5 hours tomorrow to get to Arcadia for our show. That is so nice!

We watched the first disc of "Running Down a Dream" the Tom Petty documentary. It is SOOOO inspiring. Tom and all the "Heartbreakers" and many others are interviewed and talk about their journey from day one. Stevie Nicks says repeatedly that if she could have, she would have left Fleetwood Mac and joined The Heartbreakers. :) It adds a whole new level of inspiration to be in the back of the Suburban actively running down my own dream while listening to the artists I look up to. Listening to Tom Petty talking about what all he had to do to get where he is today... well.... it's good fuel! Literally.

When he is asked who his influences are, he says "The Radio" (and the 60's) which made me feel so normal! I always felt a little "uncool" to say that as a musician. (I have gotten over that now), but back when I was at school at Berklee, it felt strange to admit how much of a radio listener I have always been. I guess partially because it made me sound like "just a singer." And not to perpetuate stereo-types, but Berklee is full of ridiculously good musicians; it's kind of like the academic side of music to be in school there. And there was a certain respect that seemed to come with being into hardcore jazz and anything with an odd time signature or as many blue notes as one can fit... While I appreciate music that I have to "think" about while I listen to it - well... that stuff just doesn't move me like a "pop" song. How ironic is it that it isn't "popular" in certain music circles to admit that you like "popular" music? Hmmmm....

I must admit... I am pretty stoked about the fact that it is only midnight. I haven't gotten in bed before 4:30am or later the last few nights. Too much to do!!! But my pillows at this Comfort Inn are calling. Don't wanna leave em hanging.

NIGHT NIGHT!

~natalie

Bates College

We played at Bates College tonight in Lewiston, Maine!

Ummm... the snow here is RIDICULOUS. I saw a car that was almost completely buried. It is piled up taller than me on every street. I just can't imagine living like this! I mean, I LOVE LOVE LOVE snow. But, that isn't really fair. I have never had to shovel a sidewalk. So I have a very pure picture of snow... For me - a flake of snow meant NO SCHOOL!!! growing up. Actually the THREAT of a flake of snow meant NO SCHOOL! so you know.... snow = pure happiness

The show was great tonight. A lot of students came out in the 3 degree weather (I'm sure the free chai tea and yummy cookies didn't hurt anything!) There were a couple of girls that started 2-stepping during "And Then Some" which REALLY impressed me. There wasn't a dance floor... but they just adjusted and kicked off their shoes. It was great. : )
The student paper did a great write-up for us too!

Bates News Article

And I have to say a big thanks to Meg Crocker for posting videos and pics from the evening!!! I lost my uploader thingy... so I can't get pics off my camera until we hit up a Best Buy!!! But Meg posted lots of pics on facebook -



She had them all up by the time the guys and I got done watching Lost in the hotel! Speaking of... Good Lord! That show is just bananas. I really need to go back and watch all the previous episodes because it's getting to the point where I can't remember half the stuff that's happened. Lost is so addictive. Actually, the last time we were in a Hilton Garden watching Lost - it was our first time in Hilton Head, SC. I remember that so well. We barely made it to the hotel in time to watch it on tv. We've given up on that notion... television, that is.... it's streaming online for us kiddos these days.

We head to Bristol, Rhode Island tomorrow. But it's only 3.5 hours away!!!! We get to sleep in!!!! I am waaaaaayy excited about that. Well... except that it is already 3:30...

yeah... I'm going to bed. Here's hoping for a Best Buy run tomorrow. And maybe a Red Robin? Mmmmm... food... NO! SLEEP!

k.

peace, love, fiddle faddle