I NEEDTOB(r)E(athe) at Sam's Place

Sam's Place was most definitely the place to be on Sunday night if for no other reason because Emma and I were there. 

But really, it was incredible

Sam's Place is when one Sunday a month, the Ryman returns to it's original purpose as a gathering place for worshipping believers, also known as a church. I don't know if many of yall know this, but Tom Ryman actually built the Ryman as a church for Sam Jones, the Reverend who lead Tom Ryman to Christ. Sam lead Tom to Christ during an outdoor tent revival, and from then on, Tom promised Sam he would never preach from under a tent again so he built what is the Ryman Auditorium to us today. (If you're interested in learning more about the Ryman and how it came to be, there's a ton more information here! http://ryman.com/history/captain-tom-ryman)

But anyway, Steven Curtis Chapman, the host of the night, decided to return the Ryman to it's original function and it was hands down one of the coolest concerts ever. 

The curtain came up and SCC came out and kicked us off with a song of worship to "Do Everything" and being in a room of believers all singing about glorifying God in all aspects of their lives was super cool. 

It set such a great tone for the rest of the concert. 

SCC and Amy Grant are such good friends that SCC couldn't just introduce her like normal, so he got out his handy dandy ukulele and sang a song about Amy's career and all the breakthroughs she's had as a female Christian artist, which are absolutely remarkable.

Amy came on and sang "Better Than A Hallelujah" and "If I Could See" with some jokes about hot flashes in between. Amy is an artist that's always been played in my house. She was my mom's first concert as a teenager and just a classic artist in the Reed family and honestly, I was really disappointed in her performance. I had these great expectations built up that came down by the end of her songs. She has an unmistakable stage presence but her voice wavered in and out and seemed a bit pushed to me. 

Despite the rougher performance, Amy and SCC sang a last song together: Thy Word, the classic hymn.

It was phenomenal. Absolutely incredible. They did SCC's version from his hymns album and it was amazing. Their harmonies and their voices go together so easily. Unforgettable.

They also sang "More To This Life" which was good as well because their voices are heavenly together.

And then David Nail came out. 

David is such a quality act. He came out and you could see the nerves from a mile away. From the moment he opened his mouth, you could tell he was so nervous to be on that stage. He shared a little bit about himself and then sang "In the Ghetto" by Elvis Presley, after providing a backstory of how that is and always has been one of his go to songs. David's first song, Red Light is one of his more popular songs, so of course, he sang that one. Then, with shaky hands, he drank some water and shared another 10 minute story about home before singing his last song. The last song he sang was actually a brand new song to be on his next record and was super cute. It's a sappy song about going home and it is so good. I'm super excited for his next album. David is a crazy talented artist. His voice sounds exactly like it does on his albums and I definitely want to see him again.

After David, it was Laura Story's turn to be introduced by SCC, and his method was via "story." He gave us her life leading up to that moment in under 3 minutes, which I personally found very impressive.

Being a bluegrass player by tradition, Laura took the stage with her handy dandy up right bass. 

"If I couldn't be the most talented one tonight, at least I could have the biggest instrument."- Laura Story

Laura sang "Indescribeable," "I Can Just Be Me," and "Blessings," which were all amazing. The words and the meanings of each of those songs are incredible and so powerful, plus the tune and talented singer didn't hurt.

Using his hosting skills, SCC came out and sang another hymn, much like Amy did, except they sang "How Great Thou Art" and it was just as incredible. The version they did was bluegrassy and ah. I just loved it.

After a very short intermission, the Isaacs came on. Due to my age, I was not familiar with them, but they are a bluegrassy family band so I absolutely loved them. Their harmonies were SPOT ON. So much talent in one family is insane.

In between the Isaacs and the final act of the night, SCC took a moment to share about Show Hope, which is an organization that helps families qualify for financial aid to help adopt. SCC has such a passion for adoption that the proceeds from the tickets are donations for Show Hope! Show Hope was founded by him and his wife and they've helped countless families bring home children from over 50 countries! It is a great organization, and everything that they're doing is making such a positive impact. SCC actually brought 2 guests out to talk about everything adoption means. First, his daughter Stevie Joy came out. Stevie Joy was adopted by Steven and his wife and has found her place in her Forever Family and spoke from the child's point of view of adoption. Then, SCC brought out a family who had partnered with Show Hope to bring home a little boy and they explained about their journey of adoption and thanked Show Hope for they do. To find out more about Show Hope, you can go to showhope.org.

Once Stevie Joy and SCC left, the long awaited Bo and Bear Rinehart of NEEDTOBREATHE took the stage. 

It. Was. Incredible.

Bo and Bear came out and began singing Wasteland in the microphones, but by the end of the first verse, they had unplugged and come to the front of the stage, doing a purely acoustic, raw version of the song. 

You know how they sound on the radio/album? That is EXACTLY how they sound life. In tune and insanely talented. Honestly, I was shaking. I will never forget such a cool moment.

As they sang, the entire building was silent, but on the chorus, the entire room was filled with people declaring that if "God is on my side, who can be against me?" which was beautiful. It was breathtaking.

The nature of the night was like a singer-songwriter night where you hear about the song and then they preform it, and NEEDTOBREATHE's most recent release is called "Brother." Bear explained that Bo wrote it for him during a huge fight and it saved their relationship. The performance of such a significant song resonated in everyone I'm pretty sure. Though not always a biological brother, everyone's got someone they need to be there for and Brother explained that perfectly.

Steven's adoration for NEEDTOBREATHE was so obvious. Before they took the stage, he talked about how they were the first band he wanted to invite to Sam's place, and SCC proceeded to bow down at their feet once "Brother" ended.

The adoration seemed to be a pretty mutual thing from both sides, so Bear and SCC played "When You're A Soldier." (Fun fact: When they were younger, Bear and Bo actually played "When You're A Soldier" in a school competition and won with it.) Bo and Bear are SO talented. If you haven't seen them live, I wholeheartedly recommend doing so. I'm so seeing them again, even if I have to pay an obnoxious amount of money.

No concert is complete without a grand finale of course, so to close out the night, all the artists came back out and the congregation rose for a group sing of "I Saw The Light."

To me, seeing people using their God given talents to glorify Him will never get old..especially if it involves music. 

xo

lauren

Burning It Down Tour 2015

Jason Aldean "burned it down" last night in Nashville. 

See what I did there? 

Jason Aldean with Tyler Farr and Cole Swindell stopped at Bridgestone last night. Lots of lights, lots of pyro techs, and lots of loud music, which sounds like a good night if you ask me. 

Tyler came out and ran around the stage. Being the first act, he sang to half empty arena, but by the time his set finished, Bridgestone was packed. In comparison to his released studio tracks, he didn't sound too hot to me. Pushed and unsure are two words I'd use to describe Tyler. Vocally, he tried to do some runs and hit some notes that he shouldn't have. He also seemed unsure of what to do with the room on the stage, which didn't help his stage presence much. He did set the mood for the show very well though. Overall, Tyler wasn't my favorite, but has potential.

Then Cole Swindell came out and every girl swooned and every guy raised did a 12 ounce curl. Cole was incredible. From the first moment his intro video played, the energy in the arena soared. Cole came out smiling with a huge stage presence. The entire crowd was dancing, and I don't think it was entirely because of the alcohol. He has a great voice that sounded almost exactly like he does on his albums. Since Cole is a songwriter turned singer, he sang some of his writes like "This is How We Roll" and "Roller Coaster." Besides singing "Roller Coaster," He also has some Luke like dance moves that were adorable. I was genuinely impressed by how much talent he had. Cole is definitely one of my new favs. 

And then came Jason...I have listened to Jason for as long as I can remember. Dirt Road Anthem is one of the first songs I remember bragging about having it memorized.

  It was crazy cool to see him live, and I was not disappointed. Awesome pyro techs and lights only enhanced the true talent Jason has. His albums and his live voice sound exactly the same, which always impresses me in this day and age. Though his voice was the same, many of his songs seemed "amped" up with higher tempos and heavier drum beats. It wasn't bad, but it was almost like it was a remix on certain tracks. 

Jason didn't talk much between songs, which is up to you if it's bad or good. With a 22 song set and encore, you definitely get your moneys worth. If for no other reason, the concert was well worth it's cost because Randy Owen of Alabama came out and sang a few songs. Jason has always liked the band Alabama, so seeing him on stage with Randy was a really cool and special sight. 

As the night went on, the artists got more and more talented and only confirmed that concerts with loud music and lots of lights are my happy place. 

~lauren

Valentines Day Opry

If I can't be with a boyfriend on Valentines' Day, to me, being at the Opry is the second best thing. 

You're supposed to be where you love on Valentines' Day and that's exactly where I was. Emma and I braced the cold and the Valentines' Day traffic and made our way over to Opry Mills  (which was crazy!! do not recommend!!) for dinner and the show. 

We stopped at Santa Fe Cattle Co. and it was phenomenal. I got the fajita quesadilla and it was delish. 10/10. I would most definitely go back. Not only is their steak amazing, they have honey butter and rolls, which are always a selling point to me.

After almost 45 minutes in traffic for the short drive, we made it to the Opry House. 

The reason we went specifically was because Kelsea was making her Opry debut, which is HUGE! 

She was asked back during an award show by her friends of Lady Antebellum (The video is here and is absolutely adorable!) As soon as we found out, Emma and I had to go. There was no way we were going to miss this.

So we took our seats and the legendary Opry curtain rose and the music began. Before we knew it, Kelsea was taking the stage!

She sang an acoustic version of her current single, "Love Me Like You Mean It" from her first E.P, with her cowriters, Josh Kerr and Forest Glen Whitehead at her side.

 After singing that song, Kelsea took a little bit of a break and talked about how big of a dream it is of hers to play the Opry as she got situated with her guitar for her next song. 

And in this transition and introduction to the next song, Kelsea announced details about her debut album! It's called the First Time and hits stores on May 19, 2015!! The album is named after her song, "The First Time" which according to her is "about learning the lesson that sometimes the past should stay in the past."
I believe her exact words regarding the song and the album were "“I never thought I'd be so thankful for that experience and that I'd be playing it at the Grand Ole Opry! My album The First Time is named after this song and it's coming out on May 19! I've been dying to tell people this!"
"The First Time" is exact proof that even bad situations can be good in the long run.

Big, big stuff is coming from Miss Kelsea and I'm so excited to see where her journey takes her!

Also at the Opry was Chuck Wicks, who really impressed me. I've listened to him on America's Morning Show with Terri Clark and Blair Garner for a while, but had never seen him live.

Chuck Wicks is now being tracked on my BandsInTown account and I'm really hoping he comes to Nashville soon for some kind of show. I would highly recommend seeing him live.

Charles "Chip" Esten, more commonly known as Deacon from Nashville was there as well. He is just as talented in person as he is on TV.

An up and commer, who I was unfamiliar with was also there. Mo Pitney. Never heard of him before? Yeah, me neither. He sang a cute song called "Clean Up on Aisle 5" and won the hearts of many girls in the audience. He knew his range so well  and is a top notch song writer. I can see a big future for him in country music, so keep an eye out for him!

Always a pleasure, Opry.

xo,

lauren

Trusting Him

For the first time in a while, I'm actually happy. I'm content with my friends and my school work and just everything in general, and I really never thought that I would say lately.

Why the sudden happiness?

I've started to stop worrying and to truly trust Jesus. 

Over the past few weeks, I've been really digging into what it means to seek Jesus in every situation and to trust him and that has made all the difference. 

All my life I've heard "talk to Jesus like he's your best friend," but I've never truly tried it until recently and it changes everything. Every little thing, every big thing, I tell Him and I seek Him in it and my world has changed. There's so much more peace in Him than I could ever find on my own. Even in the bad, I now see good and that's all because I know He is protecting me and looking out for me. 

"Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name

He will call on me and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation."

-Psalm 91:14-16, NIV

We are under God's constant care, and He answers us when we call on Him! He will deliver us in every situation and all we have to do is trust him. We have to turn our attention toward our Savior and away from the momentary problems. Worrying will do no good. 

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

-Matthew 6:33-34, HCSB

Trust Him. It makes all the difference.

Sick of School

So I'm at home..because of the flu...for the third day.

Super fun, right? 

My fever broke yesterday morning, but just to be safe I stayed home today as well, but that is three days of makeup work I will have to complete on Tuesday. Three days of tests and quizzes and worksheets and reading and notes that will be expected to be made up in a three day time span in addition to keeping up with my regular school work that will be piled on top of that. 

That is a lot of work, and when I found out I was running a fever and was becoming sick, I had a minor panic attack over all of the work I was going to miss (and at at this point I was assuming I'd be back after only being out one day). I thought about all of the lectures I was going to miss and flat out freaked out. Falling behind, especially in classes that you're not very strong in, is never good. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

But the whole point of this post is not to say that I think we have too much work. I honestly do think majority of the work teachers give us are to help us learn and prepare us best they can for later whenever we may use it (even if that is only on some standardized test at the end of the year).

I didn't feel good on Monday and Tuesday, but missing school with minimal symptoms of any sickness besides a cold was not a good enough reason to miss school and have to have all the makeup work in my opinion. I wasn't willing to stay home and rest and get better because I was going to miss too much at school. 

I was willing to physically suffer so that I could maintain academic excellence. 

If that doesn't say anything about how our education system puts too much pressure on excelling in school, I don't know what will.

xx,

lauren

Resolutions

If you know me, you know how much I hate "New Years Resolutions". Like I just don't get the point of them. They're always good intentioned but rarely followed through with, and if you really wanted it, you would have started in July rather than January.

It being the new year is motivation for a new start I guess so props to everyone who's trying.

My grandmother challenged me to write and share 5 new years resolutions of mine, so here they are:

1. Do things for me.

So often, I pressure myself into doing things I have absolutely NO desire to do because I want to please everyone else and I'm scared of offending them. BUT I've begun to learn that I can't always do that and that at some point, I have to put myself first and that's going to start now.

I'm going to do stuff for me, and worry about pleasing myself before anyone else.

2. JESUS

Life gets crazy, and sometimes, all I want to do is sleep, but I know I need to take 10 minutes and talk to my Maker, so I'm going to *try* do a devotion everyday. 

3. Runnin

It's pretty typical to have a "lose weight" resolution, but I'm not really trying to lose weight anymore -- I just want to be healthy and enjoy life. So I'm resoluting to once it gets warmer (heaven knows I'm not running in 20 degrees), I want to run every day for 30 days and make it a habit. If the every day part doesn't work then at least 4 times a week and really just push myself to a new personal best.

4. Me.

I struggle with my self confidence and I'm honestly just really insecure all around. I over critisize myself on everything from my handwriting to my calves to my picky shopping. I critique myself constantly and I want to change that. Every morning, I'm going to resolute to say one good, positive thing about myself and just have a good mindset going into the day, and also say one thing at night that I was prpud of or liked that I did that day, and start to boost myself up instead of tear myself down.

5. Smile.

I try to smile and be light hearted all the time, I really do, but so often, I just get so frustrated so quickly. 2015 is going to be filled with more smiles and I'm going to embrace the little quirky weird things my family does and just go with it. 

In addition to these 5 resolutions, Nana challenged me to write down 5 tangible goals of 2015 and 5 non-tangible goals of 2015 and then next December 31, see if I achieved them all.

Tangible:

1. Get my driver's liscence

2. Pay it forward at least twice

3. Get a chaco tan

4. Finish sophomore year with all As and finish first semester of junior year with all As

5. Be on Snowball Lead Team/Sunday Student Lead Team

Non-tangible:

1. Smile more

2. Complement people more

3. Spend less time on electronics when I'm with people

4. Never text and drive

5. Love myself

2015's going to be good. I can feel it.

xo,

lauren

2014

I'm going to hop on the "highlights of 2014" bandwagon, so I send my apologies now. Sorry not sorry.

In no particular order....

I recommitted my life to Christ! I made him a priority in my life in May and that completely changed everything -- my attitude, my outlooks, my loves -- it changed everything for the better.

I realized I have 2 best friends who are there for me for everything and furthered my relationship with them to an unshakeable level.

My highschool went to the state champtionships and were undefeated all season!

I worshipped with Phil Wickham and it was incredible.

I turned 15 and got my permit (not as exciting as 16, but it's the closest thing I got). 

I won 2 golf tournaments as an individual!

I ran my first ever 8:32 mile. Not super fast to most people, but it was so great to me.

I became lead teacher of a Sunday School at church, which only adults are allowed to be, so it is a huge deal to be 15 and a lead teacher.

I went to the Opry way too many times and have no regrets.

I drank my first cup of coffee black. I definetly prefer coffee with milk and sugar but I don't hate it.

I learned all 19 of the Duggar kids names and have then memorized in birth order.

I fractured my fourth metacarpal and got diagnosed with tendonitis in my right hand, causing no golf for 6 weeks.

I went to the Orange and White game at UTK with Emma and had an absolute blast in the West Club Terrace.

I bought lots of monograms.

I got 2 kittens: Elsa and Marley.

I went to the beach with my family.

I saw Sam Hunt in concert and it was absolutely remarkable.

I went to Chicago on a mission trip and learned I have a heart for the people there and left it there when we came back.

I met Hunter Hayes.

I bought lots of Chickfila.

I met and completely fell in love with Kelsea Ballerini. She is literally the cutest, sweetest, funnest, most talented girl I know. So lucky to call her a friend.

I met Scotty McCreery.

I got sang to at a mexican restruant and wore a sombrero and everything.

I had my first Frothy Monkey experience.

I got my second piercings and they rock.

I saw Keith Urban live and was without a doubt the best preformer I've ever seen.

I learned I love choir and being back in music after leaving it for a year.

I cut off 11 inches of hair for Locks of Love.

I worked super hard and got rockin sock tan and golf tan lines.

I saw Josh Turner in concert.

I became Gloria at Starbucks on total accident.

Overall in 2014, I learned to smile and appreciate the little things. I learned to laugh when it's hard and to find the good in situation. I learned to order coffee and take pictures of it without caring. I learned to take selfies with no shame if for no other reason than just to look back on them. I learned it's not dorky to like reading. I learned candles are one of my favorite ways to relax. I learned people come and go and you have to let them leave if they want to. I learned not to let a boy control your dreams and take over your thoughts. I learned to trust God and to take joy in every situation for it is all for His kingdom and for His will.

Bring it 2015.

Christmas Spirit

Christmas honestly just confuses me.

For the days from December 1 to December 25, everyone is nice and friendly and compassionate and filled with love, but as soon as it is December 26, it is like nothing ever happened.

Imagine if every single day we acted like it was December 18. Your neighbors would wave to you as you get into your cars. Your co-workers would be more willing to laugh at your bad jokes. Your teachers would be more compassionate when you fall asleep in class. The world would be so much nicer!

It's like December 1 casts a spell on the entire world full of love and smiles that lasts just until December 26.

And why is that? It is because so many people only associate Jesus with December 25. December 25 is "Jesus' birthday" (even though it really isn't even his birthday)and because of that, everyone is going to be nice to people. Just the idea that there is something regarding Jesus this month transforms people's lives completely. They may not understand how much hope Jesus brought or the significance of virgin Mary's pregnancy, but they show that Jesus=love.

December itself is a great example of the transformations Jesus can do in people's lives. Like take this, I have this teacher who is probably one of the coldest men I've ever met. He has very little emotions and sympathy towards anything, or at least at school that is the case. We took a quiz in his class and as a group, all of us felt like we failed. It was so rough. We passed in our papers and he looked at us as we waited in silence for our next task. He asked us how we thought we did and groans and "terrible!"s were thrown out. He flipped through the papers and then looked up at us and said, "Hey, it is Christmas after all." 

and then he threw them in the trash.

This is the same teacher who made a student soil his pants because his lecture was more important than the student going to the restroom.

If that's not enough of an example of what Christmas does to people, I don't know what is. 

I've also figured out that the change of emotions are also why so many people call strange things that happen during Christmas time "Christmas miracles." If it weren't during Christmas and everyone's feelings are bright and cheery, the thing wouldn't have happened. That is simply it. Some may call it a "Christmas miracle" that my teacher threw our quizzes out, and it was all because of Christmas and  happiness Jesus brings and brought especially on that day so many years ago in Bethlehem.

Jesus can change lives, and just as soon as December 1 rolls around, He changes people's attitudes, even if only for 25 days. 

In my short 15 years, I've never realized this before. Christmas is truly just another demonstration of His crazy power.

God is good. He is at work, and He is good.

-Lauren

It's Christmas!!

There is just something so crazy happy about December.

Once everyone is through with exams, there really isn't a reason to not be happy. There's no school, it is acceptable to drink hot drinks all the time, and it's boot weather. What is there not to be happy about?

My most favorite thing about December besides no school, hot drinks, and boots is Christmas and the family that comes with celebrating Christmas. My farthest relatives are about 20 minutes away from my house, and my closest are within walking distance, so it's not like I never see my family. Heck, I even go to school with my cousin and have two classes with him. When all of my family comes together for Christmas, it's different though. Everyone is in good spirits, despite what all the year has held or what drama has occurred, and that in itself is a miracle. So far, I've gone to two family Christmas gatherings and have two more, and each one is filled with laughter and love, which makes the atmosphere complete.
My past few days have been filled with cooking, wrapping presents, and cleaning in preparation for Christmas and having family over, and I could not be happier, more excited, or in a better mood.

I just love everything about Christmas time.

Christmas Tour Buses

If you know me at all, you know I'm pretty well known for meeting celebrities and attending too many concerts...and exam week is no exception. Why let exams get you down and make you boring when there are singers to meet and songs to be sung??

So Emma and I completely ditched studying and made our way down to Hendersonville, where there were celebrity tour buses. There were over 60 of these buses in the parking lot, and my goodness, it was massive. The buses all came for Christmas For Kids, a charity that helps provide underprivileged kids with gifts for Christmas, and the tour buses were one of the ways they raised money.

Hunter Hayes just so happened to be there, and we definetly waited for an hour in the cold and rain to meet him, but it was so worth it.

He came around and talked with everyone, and Em and I talked to him about one of his new songs for a few minutes.

We've seen and met Hunter before, so we obviously like him, He never fails to impress with his passion for music and people, and it never gets old to still see the spark in their eye for music.

xoxo

lauren

ps- HH>studying for chemistry exam