Even Alaska

So the new cd may be held up by legal mumbo jumbo at the moment...

But I can at least show you some inspiration for one of the songs. I wrote "Even Alaska" with Nathan Chapman (ridonkulous producer, writer... has produced all of this little girl's stuff you may not of ever heard of: Taylor Swift) and we wrote this song RIGHT after I got back from my honeymoon trip to... ALASKA.

When I think about Alaska... this is usually the first reference in my head:


I took this picture from our balcony. :) The captain took our ship down a little inlet to show us a really good view of a glacier and this was at the very end. This glacier was one of the biggest we got to see the whole trip. Those places that look like tire tracks (like someone took a gargantuan 4-wheeler and went over it) is actually where 2 glaciers have fused together. So this is actually 3 glaciers that have, over time, fused into 1 mega-glacier. They are so beautiful. Baby blue. And I can't even describe how big this is. As photos tend not to do... this does it no justice. It was so unbelievably huge and without the perspective of how far away we were... it only looks mildly impressive on here. :)

I have a lot of snap shots in my head that I run through every time I talk about Alaska, or introduce the song. But this is one of the ones I always go to first in my head.

I can't believe it is STILL snowing in Tennessee. The accumulation doesn't really show much for it... but that is ok. It has been steady and beautiful. And I love every second of it.

Peace. Love. And Snowy Fiddles.
~natalie

The House That Built Me

Tonight I heard a song that stopped me in my tracks. I've heard it before, but I hadn't really LISTENED to it yet.

James and I came down to my parents house tonight so I could get a head start on some cooking for the big day. It was 1:00am, I was standing at my kitchen stove... in the house that I grew up in... and I was kneading out dough with my hands. It was just me, some yeast roll dough, and Miranda Lambert's new cd. "The House That Built Me" came on, and I started crying. It hit me like a ton of bricks. My parents have lived here since before I was born. And this is definitely the house that built me. And the lyrics of this song, as I prepare for the family to come home for Thanksgiving, well, they just resonated with me in a pretty powerful way.

James' grandparents are selling their farm right now, and I know that was part of it as well. The farm is where he learned to play drums. They got a drum set and let him bang away as a kid when he spent the summers there in Iowa. And that was one of the houses that built him.

Miranda explains and sing it best. Hope you enjoy this video of her singing "The House That Built Me".


Hope your bellies are full and your hearts are warm.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Peace. Love. Fiddles. and Turkeys.
~natalie

If You're Ever in Jonestown, PA...

The guys and I drove for 16 hours today.... we stopped about 95 miles short of Scranton. Scranton was our goal - it was where we wanted to sleep tonight. (Plus, it makes me feel cool to stay where The Office is supposed to be set :) )

But this RIDICULOUS snow storm started. It is gorgeous - huge puffy, beautiful flakes - the kind that you yearn for as a kid and the kind that DEFINITELY gets schools closed in Tn. But also the kind that is NOT good for driving. As we were trying to make it to a gas station, a few trucks passed me in the left lane and when they'd go by, I couldn't see the road. It was ALL white. So, yeah, we decided to stop for the night.

We're in Jonestown PA and the first hotel we came to was a Best Western. Now, normally I really like Best Western's and this one looked brand new. But this one is not on my "favorites" list. (And for some strange reason I feel like I know a thing or two about reasonably priced hotels... hmm wonder why??)

First of all they keep the door locked this late at night. No big deal, but there was no where to ring a bell or pick a phone to let someone know you are standing outside in the freezing cold. I walked around 3 times trying to find a way to notify the night attendant, and then the automatic doors closed ON me. Umm.... how does THAT happen??? Then, when I finally was let inside the second set of automatic doors, the man inside abruptly said "We don't allow oversized vehicles". I know I looked at him strangely. I mean, REALLY!?!?! It's a Suburban pulling a 5x8 trailer.... And I guess, yeah, that would be considered "oversized" but it only takes up one extra parking space. Plus out of ALL the hundreds of hotels we have stayed at over the last few years traveling, no one has ever refused us a room because of our vehicle. It's not like it is a semi. But whatever. It probably wouldn't have irritated me as badly if I hadn't just been slammed in by their door and battling the crazy blizzard outside. I get it's not his fault or policy. And I wasn't rude or anything. I was just very frustrated.

So then we went down the street to the Days Inn. SCORE!!!!!! This place is AWESOME!!!! And the guy at the front desk, John, wiped away all my frustration. He was overly accommodating and just so friendly. After I checked us in, we started unloading the car. Right before we got in the elevator, he let us know that he had just gone up to our room and turned on the lights and the heat. WHO DOES THAT!!?!? That was THE NICEST thing in the world he could have done for us. What an thoughtful man. And the room... It's a business suite, so it has a full kitchen, two beds, a pull out couch (so Hootie and Miguel don't have to snuggle tonight) and a whole little office area.

See? Everything happens for a reason! I am SO glad we aren't at that grumpy Best Western.

Plus, this place inspired some good music! I know it may seem strange, but I come up with a lot of good song writing ideas in the shower. I came up with a really cute one tonight. It's one of those that I can hear almost the whole song - I just need to work out the details of the lyrics. But I know what I want it to say :) So after I showered, I got all bundled and went out to the Suburban to have some quiet to record my ideas. (I say that, but really what I mean is that I get embarrassed about recording song ideas in front of the guys so I have to go somewhere else) But yay!!! So that's ummm over 10 songs that I need to finish now??? Good Lord! That's a whole album! How awesome would it be if they were ALL album worthy!?!

So now I must sleep. We have to leave early early. It's 2:30am and we have to be at soundcheck tomorrow in Maine at 7pm. With all this crazy snow... who knows how long it's gonna take us.

Whew. Life on the road is crazy.

The moral of this story? If you ever get stuck in Jonestown PA - stay at the Days Inn.