This past weekend I had a great time celebrating my mother, I hope you did too! Then a few days ago, I went to a tree museum for the first time in my life. It sounds odd, but it was a beautiful walk through the forest with added art installations that artists, inspired by the landscape, had been commissioned to create. We had a picnic lunch and then strolled the forest for a few hours taking in the self guided tour. It was a great way to get outside on a beautiful day and get some use of of my boots!
Brown Thomas and Dublin Castle
After spending time in Belfast I was almost sad to leave because I found it so charming, but Dublin did not disappoint! It had a lively music scene in the pubs at night and a lot of history throughout the city, I’ll be talking about that aspect in a later post, but there were two things in Dublin that I found made for a nice contrasting afternoon.
First we explored Dublin Castle in the heart of the city. Full of so much history, from the time that Dublin was invaded by England, up to it’s present day existence. The entire building was very imposing and the fact that it’s now sandwiched in the middle of everything else in thriving downtown Dublin makes me a perfect stop to soak in some history.
In the afternoon we found ourselves in Brown Thomas, a luxurious department store with it’s main entrance on Grafton Street, having high tea. The experience was decadent, especially when coupled with a visit to Dublin Castle. We were surrounded by locals, which elevated the experience for me, and felt as though we’d stumbled into a locals spot. The fare was light and refreshing with beautiful design touches throughout the experience. Also, it was a champagne high tea…what could possibly be more fun?!
Earthquake – Live
I love, love, love performing live. When I’m up on stage it’s the best feeling in the world. Recently I was able to fly back to Canada for a gig over the Easter weekend and I had such a great time playing with my band. We played my upcoming single Earthquake and it went over so well, which is such a humbling feeling; when the audience loves the music you wrote. Here’s a video of Earthquake, let me know what you think!
Markets of Monaco
We stumbled into this market just before leaving Monte Carlo, and I was so excited because I love the fruit markets of Europe, especially France, Italy, and now Monaco!
The experience of holding fresh produce typically from a local farm is such a contrast from buying fruit or vegetables in the grocery store. It also allows you to pay for it right then and walk around the market taking in the rest of the wares while indulging in nature’s candy!
We sampled some raspberries that were packed full of flavor, minus a lot of the pesticides that are banned in Europe but permitted in North America. Have you been to a produce market abroad or at home, and if so, what did you think?
Behind The Bad Habit
I’ve filmed A TON of YouTube videos and most of them I’ve been the artist, the creative director, and the editor, sometimes even the cinematographer! So when it came time to shooting the official Bad Habit video I was beyond excited. I knew what I wanted it to look like, but I didn’t have a storyline yet, and that’s where Carl Diebold (videographer for Rascal Flatts, Gavin Degraw, etc.) had some great ideas about how the storyline of the song could be brought into the video in a fun light hearted way. The video is now live on YouTube and I love how it turned out! My hair and makeup was done by Julie Garcia, a great MUA based in Nashville.
Falling Into New York
I started a tour in September and it was such a fun experience! We went from Toronto, through New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, and finished in New York City! My first stop was at Lyric Coffeehouse in Clayton New York. We had some time afterwards to walk around and explore the town and waterfront. I planned this tour through the Northeast at fall time to experience one of my favorite seasons while doing what I love! What are some places you’d like to visit in the fall?