- First off, they are so cute, because they are mini.
- Second, you can have multiple cupcake flavors without even eating one whole cupcake.
- The whole experience is fun, even the store fronts are tiny!
- There’s multiple locations all over NYC, so really wherever you are, there’s probably a Baked by Melissa close by.
- Each little cupcake is about a dollar, and they make excellent gift packages of a 25 cupcake set for $25!
Cheekwood and Holiday Feels
We were in Nashville just before Christmas and found our way to Cheekwood Botanical Gardens to see the holiday lights!
It wasn’t a super cold night so we had a great time walking the garden paths and then seeing inside the Cheekwood Mansion that was built by the creator of Maxwell House Coffee! It was a wonderful way to spend a festive evening with hot cocoa, lights, and Christmas spirit! They even had an adorable toy train running through a little village all decked out for Christmas.
One of my favorite things about this time of year is that we get to slooowwww down for a few days and just enjoy being together with the people who’s company we enjoy! Whether that means a walk under some holiday lights or a big holiday meal it’s nice to not have to rush off to the next thing and to be able to relax for a little and really connect with each other! It helps remind me to make time for baking cookies, or going to Disney on ice because those are the little moments that we end up treasuring so much with our loved ones!
When this time of year comes around it always helps me keep my priorities in order so that I can make sure to spend my time as wisely as possible, after all, it’s one of the few things we can’t get more of! Happy Holidays! I hope you had the best time with your loved ones and I’m wishing you all the best for 2018!
Festive Family Fun
It’s beginning to look a lot like my favorite time of year! I love how festive this time is and how it’s centered around spending time with people you love.
We went for a hike into the mountains of Colorado recently were able to take some amazing photos at Bridal Veil Falls.
It’s a great place to visit with your family, as you can drive up to the falls (weather allowing) to make some amazing festive family pictures and memories. We ended up hiking all the way up to the pump house and the view of Telluride was spectacular. While I wouldn’t recommend the trek in the dead of winter, on a nice fall day, or a warm winter day you could have a great time.
Especially if you packed a picnic lunch! Sometimes at this time of year everything seems to revolve around food, so I love that we found something to do that was an activity, just to change up the schedule. We were still able to chat and laugh and have a good time just like we would at dinner but now we have this magical memory to share! Plus tons of great pictures to cherish from all the fun we had hiking up to this view. If you waited, or timed it just right, you could get some very festive memories if you had coordinated holiday outfits!
What are your family traditions? I’d love to know so we can try something new!
Mountain Time
The past few months have been very busy and packed with music, travel, and excitement! Going to Colorado and being on “mountain time” was a great way to get a little downtime with family, but also to take in a beautiful space.
The family time combined with the scenery really helped to remind me how it’s important to work towards goals and achievements, but it’s important to enjoy the moments too! We explored Mountain Village; just a gondola ride away from Telluride. It’s the cutest community nestled in the mountains. The village has great little shops, spas, and restaurants, as well as some spectacular homes!
The coolest part was the ski runs that run right through the town and community. If only there had been a bit more snow while we were there, we could’ve gotten some ski suns in. In the summer the runs are used for mountain biking. The beauty wasn’t impeded by the lack of snow for skiing though!
The runs, trails, homes, and the village all made for an exceptional cute ski town! Getting outside for a walk to take in the mountain views, the snow, and the sunshine were a great way to explore while also getting a minute to relax and find inspiration! With new music coming out soon it’s time to start writing some new magic. Sometimes I find the most inspiration when I just pause for a moment and allow the inspiration to arrive.
Radio Day on Hunters Bay
Sometimes you’re working away, touring, doing radio interviews and everything is great!
Then there are a few rare instances when you feel like you’re working away and your efforts aren’t going anywhere. We all have those moments. Whether you’re visiting a radio announcer, a mom, an interior designer, a hairstylist, a doctor, or any other career or profession. Hopefully the moments where you feel like things aren’t working only account for 1% of the time. Truthfully though, it doesn’t matter how infrequently it happens. It still doesn’t feel great.
But then, out of the blue, something meaningful and amazing happens. It rejuvenates you and reminds you how much you love what you’re doing.
That’s exactly what happened during this interview with John MacDonald on Hunters Bay Radio. It was a real conversation about music, making music, where it comes from, and what it means to make the music that becomes the soundtrack to life. I love almost every interview, but some of them dig a little deeper and make me think about why I love making music, and that always reminds me why I do it.
I do it because I want to help other people by giving them the songs that they can identify with, that describe their feelings, and put those feelings into words.
I love talking about all the buzz worthy parts of the music business. It’s fun to talk about traveling, style, and all the perks. However, it’s also so exhilarating to talk about all the deep parts of music. That’s what makes it so special! To talk about the history of music, the influences we all have. It all comes together in a unique expression to give us the music we have today! If you’d like to see the whole interview you can watch it here.
CTV Morning Live
Last week we were on CTV Morning Live in Ottawa!
For a musician being able to share your music is the most fun. Getting to share it on national television when you know so many people are watching is both exhilarating and exciting. Once we arrived we were buzzed in through the security door and then checked in with security. After that we were treated to unlimited amounts of Tim Horton’s donuts and coffee while waiting for our CTV handler to prep us for being on air.
Once we were mic’ed up I started to feel butterflies because I was about to perform my original music on live television for the first time. However, the host was so friendly and warm! Which helped me remembered I was about to do something I’d dreamed about for so long! We were on CTV Morning Live to talk about the big giveaway that we have going on for a fan and a friend to visit Nashville TN and the new single, “Earthquake”!
I’ve always wondered what it would be like the first time I played on television; what would the interview be like? Would they try to catch me off guard with unexpected questions? What would it be like to have television cameras moving around right in front of you while playing? But it was SO MUCH FUN and I’m already excited for the next one!
Of course I was fortunate to have my drummer there with me to play CTV Morning Live. Which made playing the song even better! Having other musician’s to play with always makes the performance even more fun. After the show we went up to Ottawa’s New Country and had a great interview about Earthquake with them as well. We always love visiting Ottawa. I’m hoping soon we’ll have a full band show there!