i'm dying to see this!

what to do with a $100 itunes card?

it was a perfect gift for the music lover, but now i'm in a conundrum. where to start? how do i want to expand my collection? here's what i'm digging right now and if you have any suggestions, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

*The Weary Kind - Ryan Bingham (theme from Crazy Heart...Bingham's going to get nominated for an Oscar on this one and I think he might win!!! yahoo!)
*Bad Romance - Lady GaGa (I depend on GaGa for my workout sessions...she's freakin' weird, but incredible nonetheless.)
*American Honey - Lady Antebellum (GREAT song. LOVE the sound of this.)
*She's Got a Way With Me - Billy Currington (it came out of nowhere, but I have a little thing for Mr. Currington right now. this is an old one, but i love the lyrics on it.)
*She's All Lady - Jamie Johnson (what a true country song. "You're all woman, but she's all lady." Well said Johnson.)
*Why Me - Kris Kristofferson (can't believe I didn't have this already!? This is my new hymn.)
*Love is Crazy - Roger Creager (yep it sure is.)
*You Don't Even Know Who I am - Patty Loveless (excellent vocal. a lot of truth to this one.)
*Alone in the Light - Kyle Park (very unsuspecting, but this is one of THE saddest songs I've ever heard in my life.)
*That Kind of Happy - Emily West (Emily, you & I are on the same page.)
*Can I Get A... - Jay-Z (Confession: I listen to hip-hop when I'm getting ready...and I might dance around my house too.)
*Good Time Tonight - Wade Bowen (I just wanna paint the town with the boys, heck yeah!)
*Savior, Please - Josh Wilson (Lubbock boy here...new cd is amazing! great worship track.)

sowder kids on christmas morning...

and yes, we had a white christmas!

my best friend just bought a ranch!

well, minor correction: joe bought a ranch...anyhow, i got to spend the weekend with L&J out at their new place and it was perfect, just perfect. it's a nice piece of acreage outside of dripping springs and it comes equipped with a creek, a pasture, a beautiful log cabin, and close proximity to pedernales state park. they're going to call it "la reposada." lucky for me, joe & lauren like me so much because i plan on being a frequent guest :)

here's some photos of our little ranch land experience:


welcome to wimberley, texas!


ahhhh boot heaven. lilo & i care way more about boots than we should...(or at least i do.) i'm a cheap skate about a lot of things, but i will pay good money for boots...THEY LAST FOREVER!!!!


there's a lady in wimberley they call the "boot whisperer" and all she has to do is look at your foot and talk to you about what you like and she can find the perfect pair for you! she found me these 1954 vintage tony lamas and i LOVE 'em!


the sign we found for the new ranch!


look how pretty that water is on the property...eventually, they'll stock it too.


getting the lay of the land...


God bless TEXAS!!!


lauren bein' a kid.


drivin' down an old dirt road...


pretty, pretty land.


found this along the way.


they even have their own historic windmill.


this is slightly scary, but also really dang cool.

billy currington, you're adorable.

i wanna hang out with you.

NFR showdown

final round was last night and i'm sooooo proud of trevor! last night, he broke ty murray's all-around record! he's a 7 time world champion now and he's one great cowboy...couldn't have happened to a better guy.



also, the world record in team roping was broken on friday night. 3.3 seconds!!!!! holy smokes, that is FAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! jade corkhill has to be the best heeler of all time.

and j.w. harris has had such a good season and now he's the bull riding world champion, yay!



now we start another year of rodeo, just a few short weeks from now. CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my new ad for the NRA

hunter's weekend, bandera county
photo by russell

"WeLL, I'Ve BeeN SAvED bY thE GRaCe of SOuThERN ChARM. I GoT a MOUth LiKE a SAILor AnD yOUrS IS MoRE LiKe A HaLLmARK CarD. ANd iF YoU waNNA pIcK A FIGhT, WEll I'm GOnnA hAVE TO SaY gOODniGHT. I dON'T haVE to BE HaTeFUL, I CAn JuST Say BLEss YouR HeART." - "Only Prettier," Miranda Lambert

the video has been released!

i might be dancing on top of a bar, but i promise it was done very tastefully!! ENJOY!

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2009 (and yes, they're all country!)

the music critic in me never dies! although i no longer work for the baylor lariat, i figure i can at least post my opinion on my own site. (you may not agree, it's just what i think and what i like.)

1) ROADHOUSE SUN - RYAN BINGHAM

really, ryan bingham could sing the freecreditreport.com commercial and i think it'd sound spectacular. he's just got THAT VOICE. that deep, gritty, worn, whiskey-laden, hard-livin' voice - that voice that tells a story. ryan's brilliant and he's able to weave a story together with so much perspective, depth, and wit. i was a strong supporter of mescalito (which i predict will go down in history as one of the greatest folk/americana records of all time) and thank you Lord, bingham (as most people call him) didn't disappoint on his sophomore record. his wife, anna, makes just about the best music video around too...what a team. bold statement, but this is the bob dylan of our generation. there, i said it. standout songs: "country roads", "snake eyes"



2) REVOLUTION - MIRANDA LAMBERT

this girl is just talented beyond belief. her ability to garner such commercial and critical success is an accomplishment in and of itself. i've owned and loved all of miranda's albums (and they've all been excellent), but this one's her best work so far. like many people have said, this album shows a lot of maturity and growth, but miranda hasn't lost her edge at all - she's like a bottle of the spiciest habanero sauce packaged in a yellow cotton dress - and i love that contradiction. plus, i always know that i can count on miranda to bring out my feisty, vengeful, don't-you-dare-mess-with-me side. a few weeks ago, i took my gun and this album out to the range and after i annihilated my poor target, all the guys said, "holy [expletive], but you look so sweet..." i laughed, "i am sweet. rrrrreal sweet." what can i say, if i've got my pistol, i've been listening to miranda, and you're a man who's ever mistreated me...you might want to stay away! standout songs: "time to get a gun", "the house that built me"



3) OLD THINGS NEW - JOE NICHOLS

like i've said before, met joe a month or so ago, and i am so unbelievably impressed! this guy is so underrated!!!! his voice is fantastic and the song choices on this new album are perfect. i really can't say it better than the boot, so i'll include their recent write up: The Merle Haggard of his generation continues to mine traditional country, and skillfully blend it with contemporary themes and sounds, giving the title (and title track) of his latest collection even deeper meaning. The fact he has yet to achieve country superstar status is practically criminal. strong resemblance to merle? sold. standout songs: "old things new", "an old friend of mine", "this bed's too big"



4) HERE WITH ME - HOLLY WILLIAMS

being hank's granddaughter and hank jr.'s daughter can't be an easy thing to live up to, but miss williams proves on this album that she has a legitimate place in this musical dynasty. holly's songwriting skills are just extraordinary and so gut-wrenching. this album has meant a lot to me personally and i've turned to it on many occasions. holly's ability to be so honest and connect on such a soulful level is impressive to say the least. if you listen to this album and it leaves you with no emotional response, something is wrong with you!!!! standout songs: "keep the change", "without Jesus here with me", "he's making a fool out of you"



5) WIDE OPEN - JASON ALDEAN

jason just grows and grows on me. i started with thinking, "this is a fun loving georgia boy who knows how to sing a nice country song" to realizing, "wow, he's talented and he's doing things that no one else is." jason's about as traditional country as it gets these days, but he's also raw with a pinch of southern rock- a very interesting blend. most songs i can listen to a few times and then they get old, but i could listen to the three singles he's released thus far over and over and over again. i think jason plays right into my "screw this big city, let's go move to tuscola, texas and run our little farm" daydream. he's just a simple guy and i love that about him. this album did not disappoint in the least. standout songs: "the truth", "big green tractor", "love was easy"



6) THE LIST - ROSANNE CASH

interesting story behind this record. when rosanne was 18, she was riding the bus with johnny and he kept quizzing her on classic country songs and she didn't know the majority of them and so he said, "child! have mercy, i'm going to sit down and write you a list of the 100 best country songs and this will be your education." she held on to that list all these years and FINALLY decided to cut an album. i've always loved rosanne's voice (a tender, yet course mix of appalachia and southern roots) and how could any album with songs chosen by johnny not be freakin' outstanding? this was a genius idea. though they're not her own songs, she respectfully manages to put her own stamp on them. standout songs: "silver wings", "long black veil", "bury me under the weeping willow"



7) AMERICAN SATURDAY NIGHT - BRAD PAISLEY

i have so much respect for brad paisley. he just seems like the most hardworking, kind-hearted, family man. i hope i never hear anything absurdly disparaging about him because that would break my heart! my perfect image of the all-american family would be shattered! unlike tiger, i think he's genuinely, madly in love with his wife and he loves doting on his two boys. anyway, concerning his new album, it's just consistent brad paisley. well produced, well written, well played. besides the fact that brad knows how to tear it up on the guitar (his skills really are incredible), i think there's no question in my mind that the single "then" was the best love song of the year in any genre. that one's going to stand the test of time for sure. standout songs: "then", "she's her own woman", "the pants"



8) SATISFIED - ASHLEY MONROE

ashley's not very well known - yet - but she is a damn good singer/songwriter. i don't know who broke her heart and raked it through the coals for her to write these songs, but they are searing! musically, her voice is almost haunting. she's definitely her own voice, but there's a hint of emmylou, patsy, and lee ann in there. i absolutely looooooove this album and it's on constant rotation at my house and in my car. standout songs: "hank's cadillac", "used", "make room at the bottom", "let me down again."



9) BEAUTIFUL DAY - CHARLIE ROBISON

i missed charlie so much during his five year absence! i get the impression that he's a real scoundrel, but he sure makes some good music and puts on a great live show! this was "the divorce record" and to be sure, it contains the gamut of emotions one experiences after the termination of a relationship: anger, relief, sadness, freedom, revenge, acceptance. i think charlie did a great job of not being too spiteful; though him & em have lost their love, i sense that there's still a lot of respect between them. superb songwriting and classic charlie robison vocals. standout songs: "reconsider", "feelin' good"



10) HAPPINESS AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS - CROSS CANADIAN RAGWEED

i've never been a maniacal fan of CCR, but i do greatly appreciate their hallowed place in the texas country canon...especially those early days when i used to catch them at the blue light! you absolutely cannot box these guys in and while sometimes they get a little too happy with the tom petty/california influence, i will never deny that they're intelligent and they take risks. hell, just take one look at cody canada and you know he doesn't want to be like anybody else. period. great record, a lot of respect for never selling out. standout songs: "blue bonnets", "pretty lady", "train to birmingham"

do something good!

take some time out of your busy schedule today and when you login to facebook (because i know you will), become a fan of CHASE COMMUNITY GIVING.

chase bank is giving away $5 million to charities all across america, but they're letting facebook users decide who receieves the money. you get 20 votes to vote for 20 different charities, so you can support all kinds of causes! each charity has the possibility to win $25,000 in unrestricted funding...this is HUGE!

of course, i encourage you to vote for JOVEN - SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. if you've kept up with this blog at all, you know much those kids mean to me. i've never authentically loved anything in my life as much as i've loved them. and i've never received so much unconditional love in my life as i have from them. okay, no more sap...JUST GO VOTE! AND TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS TO VOTE!

oh carrie...

i think we'd be best friends. i'm watching your holiday tv special right now and it makes me like you even more. great hair. great clothes. sassy attitude. you love your mamma and dolly parton. and you're a real sweetheart.

my favorite rodeo cowboy :)

it's an easy distinction. there is no comparison to stran t. smith. not only is he the reigning world champion tie-down roper, but he's got a heart of gold and he's a tall drink of water if you know what i mean! ;)

good luck stran, we're rootin' for you in the finals!!!!!


stran, jennifer, stone, and scout. is that the best lookin' family you've ever seen in your life????? i think so. jennifer, you look gorgeous!!


NFR 2008


stran, stetson, and sawyer workin' cattle in childress

there's no place like...

just walked in the door from having been in west texas for the last five days. i'm feeling very melancholy about the whole thing. i love my life in san antonio and i'll be the first to admit that the lush beauty of the hill country makes the barren, isolated lands of the llano estacado look even more grim...but gosh, i love the panhandle. with the exception of a 24 hour stop back in july, i haven't been back in almost a year and it was so good for my soul to get back to that place. i can't help but think of miranda's lambert's song "the house that built me," because the lyrics of that song could not be more true for me. that house on 8th street and that town built me. i can leave and go my own way, but i always have to go back to get a sense of who i really am again.

i'll leave you with some mementos from my voyage up to shallowater. dangit mac davis, i thought happiness was lubbock, texas in my rearview mirror too.





talkin' cotton yield and land appraisals with my grandad tommy dale.


dad's side of the fam.


this is my crazy, catholic, fun-lovin' side of the family...


i even have a 75-year-old grandmother who raps!


the granddaughters.


biker chicks.


my parents.


the fam minus andy who was @ the bu/ttu game at texas stadium.

give thanks

since thanksgiving is tomorrow, i think i owe it to the holiday and to myself to state that i'm just so thankful for the things in my life.

i have been given so, so much and when i really stop and take stock of it all, i am astounded. i'm not talking about material bs either; as i get older, i realize that none of that matters so much. in fact, i'm learning that when you own a lot of stuff it can almost be enslaving. what i'm thankful for this year is all so much more than that:

a) i'm thankful for my relationship with Jesus Christ. He's been so faithful to me this year. i have leaned on Him and i have sought after Him and He's proven time and time again that He's in control. i have learned the true meaning of romans 5:3-5 in that it's absolutely true that "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."
b) i'm thankful for my family. my family is an unwavering system of support and love and i am so thankful for each and every one of them. you don't have any choice in regards to what family you're born into, so i know that i am fortunate to have this family of mine - i'm going to try to be more conscious of that.
c) i'm thankful for my friends. my friends are just good, good people. you know this old song? i don't know what i did to deserve it, but that's the kind of people they are. couldn't do it without 'em.
d) i'm thankful for lessons learned. i always learn them the hard way, but that wisdom gained is invaluable.

it's true, life is just good. i'm happy and i'm at peace with where i'm at on this journey.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING Y'ALL! COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!


thanksgiving with my kiddos (who i'm also INFINITELY thankful for.)

end of tejas rodeo season

well, it's been a great season out at tejas rodeo, i must say. we've spent many a saturday night out at the cibolo livery stables over the past eight months and it's sad to say goodbye until next april.

HOWEVER, we do have NFR in vegas in 11 DAYS, then we've got ft. worth, then we've got san antone!


cute little buckaroo.


flax & rusty


hangin' out

tis true...

blonde country girls can't get enough of jamey johnson.

"there ain't enough dancehalls in texas..."

thank you, roger creager. it's true, dancehalls are a way of life in the great lonestar state. i have been fortunate enough to visit a ton of them in my time, but i still have a long way to go.

for those of you who have never graced a one hundred-year-old sawdust floor, two-stepped the night away to an old country song, or kicked back with a shiner bock on an expansive back patio with christmas lights...well, geez louise, i feel sorry for you; you are missing out!

you should check out this month's edition of texas monthly. it'll set you on the right path. i have to say that i'm so glad they included helotes' own john t. floore's country store; that's somewhat of a second home for me.



let your hair down, wear somethin' pretty.
don't you know how you make us both look good.
call your mamma, tell her you're goin' out tonight.
it's gonna be late, hell, we might not make it back at all.

so take me out to a dancehall.
slap my foot down to the rhythm.
tell 'em to play them old songs that we all love.
tell me that you want me and i'll tell you that i want you too.
and i'll kiss your face whenever you want me to.

-take me out to a dancehall, pat green

i've joined the cult.

i thought it was something i didn't have to have, but boy, was i wrong. shame on me, i should've known that my love affair with my mac would indicate an ardent romance with the iphone. what can i say, once you go apple, you will never go back.

i've also shed the 806 area code. i've lived nowhere near lubbock, texas for the last six years, so i figured it was time to say goodbye. somewhat surreal getting rid of a number you've carried around with you since the tender age of 13. i feel like a new woman! and a real san antonian! watch out world.

brand spankin' new clay walker single!!!

it's a good one i tell ya.

this album was written for me.

comes out tomorrow. just listened to it for the first time all the way through. INCREDIBLE.



for such a little punk, john mayer is so freakin' insightful.