Kacey Musgraves on the Rhinestone Revue

It is always a good thing when I get a phone call at the end of 4^th period with a 615 area code because that can only mean one thing: I won concert tickets.

This particular time, I happen to have forgotten that I even entered for these, but I was still excited when I found out I was seeing Kacey Musgraves at the Ryman on the Rhinestone Revue tour.

And it was every bit as spectacular as it sounds.

My mom and I do our best to keep up with ABC’s Nashville, so of course I was familiar with the talent of the first openers, Lennon and Maisy.

Being on "Nashville," they have filmed a few scenes on the legendary stage, so they did have a leg up on their successors, nerve wise.  They were as calm and collected as could be. With some help enhancing their stage presence, Lennon and Maisy could headline some big tours one day. Without a doubt.

From watching "Nashville," I knew they could sing, but after seeing them live, I can attest to Maisy’s unreal range and Lennon’s natural grit. They only sang a handful of songs, but their standouts were “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” and “Call Your Girlfriend.” Their cover of Cage the Elephant's “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” had the entire venue on their feet. Really. They got a standing ovation. They’re absolutely incredible.

Andrew Combs on the other hand...I wish I could say the same about the Hank Williams wannabe.

With a crooked hat and outlaw stage persona that I just don’t think matches his sweet, down home character off stage . As a musician, he was good for the first few songs, but they soon all sounded the same. Slower, indie vibes and the same chord progressions were all I got from him.

(His drummer did have a thing with his left foot that he would shake/tap it ridiculously fast regardless of what tempo the song was. It made his set more entertaining for sure.)

After a 30 minute set change, it was finally time for Miss Kacey Musgraves to take the stage.

Y’all. She is so ridiculously talented. It is absolutely absurd. Listening to her live in comparison to listening to her album, there is no difference. She is so true to her simple “Dime Store Cowgirl” sound and roots, both live and recorded. Between songs, she was sure to give the song’s background or thoughts about her nerves, boots, or personal trainer with her standard colorful vocabulary, giving her not only a better and more memorable stage presence than her openers, but also coming off as one of the most personal artists I’ve seen. I really love seeing artists for who they are, so for there to be no censor really earned some brownie points with me.

She sang her old hits, her new hits, and other people’s hits. Doing an acoustic rendition of “Merry Go Round,” a disco dancing performance of “Pageant Material,” and a jamming cover of TLC’s “No Scrubs” gave a different feel for every section of the concert.

Her “No Scrubs” cover was my favorite performance of the night (only second to her acoustic, tear inducing edition of “Merry Go Round,” of course).

Her stage décor was so perfect for the theme of small town pageants with streamers and a disco ball.

And yes, her band is wearing pink light up suits.

 The Rhinestone Revue was easily one of the most dazzling nights of the year (ha, pun totally intended) and reminded me that there’s still hope for me even if I’m not “Pageant Material.”

Stay sparkly,

Lauren

Tuesday Treasures

September 8, 2015

A.P. English is going to be the death of me, so I'm at least requesting proper grammar on my tombstone, since that will be my cause of death after all. The work load is absolutely ridiculous, and I'm not one to mind working a lot. I just keep reminding myself there is more to life than English. But anyways...

Since being 16, I've gotten to be all cute with Ems. For our first celebratory cute date, we settled on the Egg and I. 

The Egg and I is a regional brunch restaurant chain that I just love. You sit on wooden benches and they give you a whole pot of coffee, which is always a selling point for me. Our cute little brunch date consisted of ordering the same meal (and taking pictures of it), drinking an entire thermos of coffee, and solving all of life's problems. After years of not liking eggs, something in me has changed, and I've recently started to  love omelets and scrambled eggs. Emma and I actually both ended up ordering the Egg Byte Omelet (mine without the mushrooms) with hazelnut coffee. 

Twas a good morning.

One of my favorite aspects of God is his faithfulness. He is exactly who He says He is, and He does exactly what He says He will do, which makes my heart rest at peace and reassures me of my future daily. Over the past few weeks, She Reads Truth  has done a study through Daniel, chapter by chapter from the lions to the dreams and prophecies. 

Daniel is a story of faithfulness on both ends. Daniel remains faithful to God and more importantly, God remains faithful to Daniel. I finished this study on Friday, and looking back, Daniel 10-12 ended up being my favorite. Though I love Daniel's attitude in Daniel 3 ("And if not, He is still good"- Daniel 3:18), Daniel 10-12 impacted me the most. 

You should totally read it for yourself, but in short..

After years of praying for God to let him and his people return to Jerusalem, a decree is issued that allows that, but at this point, Daniel is too old and frail to travel. He knows those who are going will face hardship and he mourns those hardships, so he prays. He prays night and day and fasts for 3 weeks straight for wisdom for the new nation. After 3 weeks, He finally hears back from God in the form of an angel.

Much like us, Daniel had to have been discouraged because he did not hear God. The angel tells Daniel that his prayers were heard on the first day, but the angel was caught in battle against the prince of the kingdom of Persia, a spiritual demon, for 3 weeks. 

It is such a literal depiction of the war going on all around us, but it is also a example of how God allows suffering for greater good. Daniel's persistence until he heard God serves as an example for us, but there was probably also spiritual growth for Daniel, drawing him much closer than ever before. The angel continued on explaining a prophecy so grand that the only One who knows it is the One who holds it in His hands. 

"When evil forces work hard to thwart God's purposes, we can only be sure that something significant is at stake." 

-Missy Fuller, She Reads Truth

I take so much from seeing this example in Daniel. When it feels like there is no answer and you are diligently praying and seeking God, just know that He hears you and He is coming!

She Reads Truth is just starting a new plan, and it's never too late to join! Sign up here to join an amazing community of sisters.

This week has also been full of good music. Maddie and Tae came out with a new album, Thomas Rhett released new singles for his album that is coming soon, Brett Eldredge released "Wanna Be That Song," Ben Rector did too...and he was really the selling point.
I used to say "if it ain't country, it ain't music," but in recent years, I have learned that's not true. Believe it or not, Ben Rector is the one who really made me believe that. I was actually obsessed with "The Walking in Between" for a while, and it is still in the my top 10 favorite albums ever.
He has so much control on his wide range and the right amount of elegance and ease when he belts that is is impossible to not love listening to him. His true lyrics, minimal editing effects, and soothing voice won me over in a heart beat. I'm not too sure what to call his genre...most of his songs are also what I would call "easy listening" or "feel goods." Some are upbeat, cruise worthy songs but some are also slower, bluegrassy love songs. They are also clean and real and pure and cute and I just love him. I also think that personally, he is also a good person. If you ever have a chance to go look through his twitter, check out #BenOnAPlane. Or even just go through his regular tweets. He's funny. He's real. He just seems like a solid guy, you know? (His wife is also a VERY talented writer, this is her latest writing and my current favorite)
"Brand New" is his fifth studio album, sixth released album if 2014's Live in Denver counts, too, but eighth if all of his EP's are included. All of his albums have done exceedingly well on the charts, and he has gone on tour with big names like Dave Barnes and Five for Fighting. I have no doubt that 2015 and "Brand New" will be any different.
You can get "Brand New" through iTunes or Amazon. You can also listen to some of my favorite BR songs through Spotify as you finish reading this post.

My aunt moved to a new apartment this summer, and on Friday, I went down there for the first time since moving all of her boxes. It looks very nice..very Pinterest, if you ask me, but I got to spend some bonding time with her and her roommate. We ate dinner, and I learned to play a new game..It's called Ticket to Ride. 

Your board looks like a map with trains going all directions, from city to city. Basically, your goal is to complete the most/longest routes and to block your opponents' path to complete their routes. I am totally obsessed. I loved it, and I'm buying it as soon as I can. Stephanie said it used to only be sold at Barnes and Noble, but it's available at Amazon, too. (Honestly, what isn't available on Amazon?)

If you even sort of know me, you probably know how excited I was on Saturday, considering college football came back. I got to watch my boys do my favorite thing and sing my favorite song with my favorite people, and I couldn't have been happier. It may have had a 90 minute delay, but rain or shine, it's great to be a Tennessee Vol,

 

xoxo and gbo,

Lauren

The Holy Spirit Works

The Holy Spirit works in incredible ways, both then and now.

Our bible story this week was from Acts 2 when the spirit overtakes the hundreds of people throughout the crowd.

Our craft was so insanely simple. We took 3 popsicle sticks and cut 1/4 of them off, drew faces on them, and then had them color in bubble text of saying Jesus, representing that they all spoke the same language, and they all understood the name and love of Jesus. 

It's so simple that it may have not even crossed your mind.

Tuesday Treasures

September 1, 2015

I know last week didn't have a Treasures, but I have good reason as to why...for those who didn't know, I turned 16 last Tuesday, which only added things to do and places to go to my ever so busy schedule, leaving no time to blog :(

Over the month of August, I had to read a lot of books, but they were books for school and not my choice. Sin and Syntax is just not my kind of book. Weddings by Bella on the other hand... I'm a sucker for a good, cheesy romance novel, and that is exactly what Thompson wrote. The 4 book series is full of laughter, love, and lots of pastas. Bella Rossi is an adult who is trying to figure out how to manage her family's wedding company while also searching for love. Born into a first generation Italian clan, Bella's roots and habits are very different from the culture of Texas that is around her, so when a couple wants a "boot scootin wedding," Bella is met with a problem and a handsome cowboy. I  swooned throughout the books when they talk about him..I just love good ole southern boys who love Jesus, their mamas, and George.

Whether your from the heart of Texas or from Florence, Italy, you're sure to enjoy hanging out with the Rossi clan through all of their adventures. 

                

All four books are available through Amazon. 

Book 1: Fools Rush In

Book 2: Swinging on a Star

Book 3: It Had to Be You

Book 4: That's Amore

Much like any other families, my family has our own birthday traditions. With my maternal grandparents, we have a dinner of any foods we want (for example: french toast, green bean casserole, ambrosia, and banana pudding for dessert). With my paternal grandparents, we go out to a birthday lunch wherever we want. We typically go out to lunch with them anyway, but we are so bad about going to the same place from week to week (Logans). I decided for my birthday that I didn't want Logans. I wanted the Cool Cafe. After realizing they were open on Sundays, it was decided.

The Cool Cafe is off of Hillsboro Road by Mack Hatcher in Franklin. It's a meat and three with some of the best fried chicken I have ever eaten.

They are known for their chicken, and Sunday was no different. Crunchy, crispy outside and moist, juicy inside. It was delicious. Their okra is also wonderful for those of you who don't like soggy okra either, Their cornbread also deserves honorable mention here because it was very nice, too. Not too dry, but still the traditional cornbread taste in a not so traditional square instead of muffin/

If you're ever out that way, you should definitely stop there. It's never too crowded, it's a relaxed atmosphere, and it's excellent food.

Cool cafe is just the coolest. 

Now being a real, stereotypical teenage girl, I love cheesy stuff. Especially when it is uplifting and encouraging other girls. One of the girls I follow on twitter posted a link to this article.  Comparison is the thief of joy! In these recent weeks, I've really paid attention to that, and noticed how much I compare myself to those around me, but after reading this, I decided 16 is going to be a year of no comparison. I'm never going to get anywhere if I keep comparing myself, so from here on out, I'm proud of who I am and what I've accomplished. And on the days I don't exactly feel this way, I'll fake it until I make it and eventually, I'll really believe it. And you should believe it, too. 

As with any birthday, is it really a birthday if you don't have cake? My other grandparents always have us over for dinner around our birthday and it is any meal we want. This year, it was "tantrum chicken" (aka western chicken), green bean casserole, and mac & cheese with Texas sheet cake and ice cream for dessert. But what you may not know is that Texas sheet cake is no regular cake. Texas sheet cake is far better, and you literally bake it in a baking sheet. It is less dense and the icing on it is thousands of times better than on a standard cake. Once you have Texas sheet cake, you will never go back to regular cake again. 
Betty Crocker actually has a very similar recipe to the one my grandmother uses.  The only difference is that Betty Crocker uses pecans in their icing, and we don't simply because we don't like pecans very much. The next time you have a birthday or a reason to bake, Texas sheet cake would be a nice change from the norm. 

For those of you wondering, I did pass my license test. The test administrator actually said I was an excellent driver, so no worries for you who drive the same roads of WilCo. 

Yes, I will drive safe. Yes, I will drive the speed limit. No, I won't text and drive.
-lauren