Ooh Chloe

Thirty years ago today, we lost the greatest man and musician. Ricky Nelson was en route to Dallas from Guntersville, Alabama for a New Year's Eve concert. A leak in a gas line caused a fire that killed Ricky, Helen Blair (Rick's fiance), and the rest of the band and crew. The pilot and co-pilot were the only survivors, but they suffered second and third-degree burns. I don't want to spend all my time telling about how sweet Eric was taken from us far too early. I want to celebrate the 45 years we were all blessed with this wonderful life! Ricky started his career in 1948 on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, the radio show. In 1952, the Nelsons ran a TV special called "Here Come the Nelsons," as a forerunner to the series. It was a hit, so the Nelsons were signed on to ABC with their new live-action sitcom, "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet." After five years of charming America with his adorable self and his wit, he surprised everyone. On April

I wanted a guitar for eleven years before I actually got one. I always thought I would have fun playing and that it may help me with my singing/feel for music, but I never thought I would find a companion in my guitar. I'm not saying a guitar is necessarily for everyone, but I do think that everyone needs something that makes them feel like they are complete in a sense. Be it painting, drawing, cooking, mechanics, leather work, writing, animal training, sports, or anything else; we all need something that makes us feel whole. For me, that is music. Nothing feels better than writing a song - just me and my guitar - that nails exactly how I feel. If you think you want a guitar, you need to be prepared for the following things: 1) Addiction. I cannot go a full day without longing for the feel of my pick in my fingers gliding across my six strings. (Cue angels singing!) 2) Tears. There will be tears. Tears of joy, laughter, frustration, sadness, and anything else. Sometimes when I&

Matthew and Gunnar recently released a new album and a single titled "This Christmas." The past two days and today will determine how the song charts. Today is the last day before the final radio position is determined. Gunnar posted this the other day, and it would be much appreciated if you requested to some of these stations and your local adult contemporary station! Thank you! Take a listen, here !

So yes, the title of this is a direct reference to Frankie Valli's "Oh What a Night," but it has nothing to do with good ol' Frankie. A few nights ago I had the best night of my life. None of which would have been possible without Matthew and Gunnar Nelson. I had the pleasure of meeting them at one of their Christmas with the Nelsons concerts as well as all the perks of having a VIP pass! (Heck yeah!) For those of you who have not met them, they are the warmest, kindest, most welcoming, and most genuine people you will ever meet. I counted down the days for three weeks before the concert and successfully annoyed every person I know with my overflowing excitement. When the concert finally came, I was a "nervous wreck," as I told Matt. I was shaking so bad, I dropped my phone right in front of them and several other things I was holding throughout the night. So awkward. They were super nice though and didn't seem to mind the fact that I was a mess. I cried

Ahhh Thanksgiving is here. I can almost taste the food. Yummy spices fill the air: sage, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. We have already built a few fires in our fire place; which is divine with a cup of hot spiced tea. I fully intend to put up the Christmas tree on Friday and switch from my "*Almost* Christmas" playlist on Spotify (half Christmas, half regular music) to "It's Christmas Time Pretty Baby!" (ALL Christmas) to top off my Christmas spirit. But before that, there's Thanksgiving! I LOVE rice with everything in me. I could eat rice every day. This is an old recipe from none other than Harriet Nelson! This is my new favorite meal. It would be perfect for a holiday dinner. It is so easy! It is not the healthiest though. Oops. I guess we all have to splurge every once in awhile. I do mine a little different than Harriet, I will note the difference. Harriet Nelson's Favorite Chicken 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice (not Minute rice!) 1 can Cream

I'm putting song titles in parenthesis. To get the full effect, you should definitely listen as I mention them. I remember when I sang  my first "special" at church. I was anything but a seasoned singer. In fact, I had a terribly flat and airy voice. I was shaking all over and utterly terrified. When I finished my two minute song, as scared as I was, I knew that someday I wanted to be in the band. After years of taking voice lessons, singing more specials, and occasionally filling in when the the lead singers were gone, my time had come. When my preacher asked me if I wanted to join the band, I couldn't spit out my, "yes," quick enough. ( Fools Rush In by Rick Nelson). The months that ensued brought some of the greatest memories of my life. For the first time, I felt like I belonged somewhere. The days or weeks between practices and Sundays felt like an eternity. I'm pretty sure the people closest to me were beyond tired of hearing about the band as th

Simplicity is key in my life. I may be a complicated individual, but I do appreciate the simple things in life. Here are seven things that, though simple, bring a special joy to my heart and sparkle to my eye. Music: Music is something that I cannot live without. Have I honestly made it one post without referencing it? I am listening to music as a write (Now Playing: Only the Lonely by Roy Orbison). Nothing makes me happier than four chords masterfully arranged to make a sweet melody with a deep, smooth voice. One of my favorite quotes about music is by Tom Waits, he says, "I love beautiful melodies telling me terrible things," and nothing could be truer. Playing Guitar: Although this kind of falls under the music category, there is a difference between listening to music and creating it. There is something so moving to me that I can make those beautiful melodies with my own two hands and put my own thoughts with them, or I can take someone else's song and recreate it w

It's not very often that a person comes along who makes you instantly feel like they "get you." It's even rarer for that person to be singer who passed away before you were born. I have a knack for getting in unlikely situations, and my love for Eric Hilliard Nelson (Ricky/Rick Nelson) is one of them. It was early August and I just had foot surgery. I was sitting in the house, bored, in pain, and melting from the 100°+ weather. I was just discovering the world of 50s and 60s music. To me, this was Elvis and Dion and the Belmonts. That's it. I had exhausted their music that was available on Spotify. As much as I loved that sound, how many times can a girl listen to the same two artists in a week? The friend who was helping me during surgery recovery was probably tired of Elvis and Dion, too. She suggested that I look up "Ricky Nelson." I almost didn't because I am a creature of habit, and change scares me. Then I realized that I had nothing to lo

For the past few weeks I have been reading Flappers and Philosophers, which is a collection of short stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald. A few days ago I finished "The Ice Palace". I will give you a quick run down of the book, and then explain why it was so moving to me. The story starts off with the main character, Sally Carrol, explaining to a good friend of her's, Clark Darrow, why she can't stay in their little southern town of Tarleton. Sally Carrol wants more opportunity, more adventure,and  more options. She wants to live it up. She goes on to tell him why she is engaged to a "Yankee" and that she loves the boys in Tarleton, but she could never marry them. Throughout the day, Sally Carrol and Clark go swimming and drive around. Later, Harry, the man she is to marry, comes down to visit Sally Carrol. While he is here, they stop at the cemetery. Sally Carrol goes to the cemetery a lot. She reads the tombstones and imagines what kind of people they were,

Simply stated, I am an introvert who uses my intuition; is symbolic; enjoys the arts and science; is sensitive, loyal, and emotional; but also can be somewhat detached and logical; and holds truer to my personal values than anything else. I suppose you could call me an MBTI mutt because I'm not a pure INFJ or INTJ. I have noticed that when I am stressed I favor my INTJness, but other than that I favor INFJ.  INFJs are good at making their point in writing, but not verbally. If I have convey information or want to to explain how I feel to someone, my INFJ and INTJ mix: I write everything I want to say in a nice concise list. I often speak in metaphors or use symbols. It is difficult for me to just explain something in black and white because I need to use comparisons. It's quite easy for me to make these comparisons, because everything is connected in some way in my mind. Sometimes it feels as though people don't understand my comparisons or what I have to say. If it's r

Before I tell about my results, I want to post about the basics of Myers-Briggs. When you take the quiz, you will get a combination of four different letters that represent "functions". The first letter will be either an E or an I, for Extroverted or Introverted.  Introverted does not mean "shy", it just means that after socializing you're drained and need to recharge. An extrovert recharges through social interactions. The second letter will be an S or N, for Sensing or Intuitive. This deals with how you take in and apply information. A "senser" will rely on concrete information obtained through the five senses in a past experience. A senser also learns better through hands-on experience. An intuitive will pay attention to themes, patterns, and meanings of information, and tend to think through situations rather that doing (hands-on). A senser will look to the past for physical evidence of how a system or method works. An intuitive will rem

I said I would talk more about the MBTI yesterday, so as an honest person, here I am. This post will focus on my days before I took the MBTI Test. All my life, I have been different. As a young child, I can remember feeling older. When I was in daycare, I assumed the responsibility of watching the others as if I worked there. Sometimes this got me in to trouble... like the time I fed a baby two full bottles, and one of them wasn't even hers! Most of the time, I did a decent job though. As I got older and became school aged, my "old soul" further developed. I would walk the perimeter of the playground alone, and think about my life, the lives of my peers, why things were the way they were, how the government works, what career I want, the best parenting methods, and many other things that some college aged people don't think about. My soul was aging exponentially quicker than I actually was. As time went by, I became a deeper thinker. Everything was (and still is)