Do fun stuff. Sure, you need to take your problems seriously, eat your vegetables and keep up with the news. But not every minute of the day! Take time to click on that cute or funny Facebook link. Watch or read something that makes you laugh (here’s our article on how laughter releases stress), or indulge in some escapism. I’ve most recently been transported to the English countryside, watching Downton Abbey on my iPhone on my subway commute, and reading Plan C, an e-book that came out last week (see photo) that Vanity Fair‘s James Wolcott accurately called a “breathless romp.” The heroine, dressed in expensive stilettos, teeters back and forth between fabulous Manhattan apartments and celeb-filled cocktail parties, exchanging gossip and witty banter with her equally fabulous BFFs—about as far from my NYC life as you can get. Though my reality—being the single working mom of a five-year-old—does help increase the fun factor, I gotta say (check out our article on the psychological importance of play)—there’s usually a game of chase or something silly I can engage in the minute I come home at night.

Think happy thoughts. Even small ones, like, “The Chrysler Building really is beautiful.” Or, “my bum hip isn’t bothering me too much today.” Look for something to enjoy in the moment (for tips, read our mindfulness article), or something to look forward to, something that you’re grateful for, or find a happy memory and dwell on that. These small thoughts add up, boosting your mood and at least temporarily interrupting that endless loop of negativity.

Hug somebody. Thank goodness for my snuggly schoolboy! But if you don’t have a five-year-old or a husband or a friend handy, a pet will work just fine. The benefits of touch are well-documented, and can sometimes really work wonders, as “The Cuddle Cure,” a pet story I edited, demonstrates.

Get some exercise. I know, sounds like broccoli. But wow, does it work. It’s as close to a psychological cure-all as you can get. After 20 minutes of lifting heavy weights, whatever my heavy load is always seems a lot lighter. Hmmm. I think it’s time for a gym break.

What’s your favorite “happiness skill”?

Isabella’s turn: Isabella comes from a very close-knit, traditional family. Her mother’s home was always immaculate, Isabella is very close to her sister, and everyone in her family knew they had responsibilities. Then she married scruffy, free-spirited Ryan, and found that their home life was, well, different. To Isabella, Ryan is a slob stuck in a dead-end job. He never helps around the house and resents the fact that she makes more money than he does (even though she knows he could be a successful comic-book writer if he put his mind to it). Tensions were rising, and then Isabella stumbled upon the real kicker. Ryan had been keeping a blog (which had garnered a bunch of readers!) complaining about life with Isabella. She feels betrayed and wonders how well she knows him at all.

Ryan’s turn: Isabella is overreacting—he’s only using a the blog as a way to express his feelings, and likes the advice he gets from his readers. He says it’s like anonymous group therapy, that’s all. Ryan’s life has always been a bit difficult. His parents had him at a very young age, his dad was an alcoholic, and recently they got a divorce, which Ryan took pretty hard. For awhile, Isabella made his life better—she was romantic and caring, and he loved spending time with her. But now, she just nags him as soon as she gets home from work. He feels like nothing in his life is working right now (including his dull job), so he took to the internet to sort things out. It’s not a big deal. Why can’t Isabella just drop it?

The counselor’s turn: Like many couples, Ryan and Isabella didn’t think it was important to discuss how they would handle everyday tasks once they got married. They seem trivial, but responsibilities like managing housework can quickly cause fighting and marital disappointment. Ryan’s blog was definitely hurtful, but it helped the couple finally get their feelings and problems out in the open. After working with the counselor, each agreed to try harder. They created a chore schedule to organize their household management in way that worked for both of them, and Isabella curbed her constant nagging, trading her resentment for better communication. Ryan apologized for hurting Isabella and minimizing her concerns, and admitted that it bothered him that Isabella was the family breadwinner. The counselor recognized that Ryan had a tough childhood, but told him it was time to change the outcome of his story and earn some self-worth. The couple decided that Ryan would enroll in art school to kick-off his new career, and before long their closeness returned.

Did you and your husband get off to a rough start when you first married? Tell us in the comments or tweet us at @MarriageBeSaved with the hashtag #CTMBS.

Photo: Russ Harrington

Are you a cat lover who’s tired of the host of feline fashion faux paws … er, pas … that you see in the stores? Well, you’ve got a friend in country music’s Kellie Pickler, who recently teamed up with Fresh Step litter and the ASPCA for a great cause that’ll benefit both cats in need and your wardrobe.

Now through March 15, in honor of February being Cat Appreciation Month, Fresh Step litter will donate $1 (up to $100,000) to the ASPCA for every photo posted on their Facebook page of a pet owner wearing a cat-proud outfit. If your closet is currently cat-pride free, relax and don’t cough up a hairball. That’s why Pickler partnered with fashion designer and fellow cat lover Geren Ford, creating the limited-edition sweater you see Pickler wearing here. When you visit the ASPCA website to purchase the sweater ($35), 100% of the proceeds benefits the ASPCA. You can also virtually “try on” the sweater at Fresh Step’s Facebook page, post it, and make the $1 donation. It’s so easy, your cat can probably do it!

Pickler, who unfortunately had to relocate her beloved cat Pickles due to her husband’s severe allergies, is thrilled to be part of such a pro-cat program, brushing off any fear of being stamped with a “crazy cat lady stigma” as cooly as she’d brush cat hair off a couch. “I’m not ashamed of anything,” she says matter-of-factly. “I don’t really worry about what everybody else is doing and what they like. I kind of do my own thing. I love cats and I’m not going to not love cats just because somebody else doesn’t think it’s cool. I don’t think they’re cool if they don’t like cats.”

She was in a similar mindset while making her brand new CD, 100 Proof, which is out today and takes Pickler back to some more traditional country roots. “On my last album, I made a record based on what I thought radio would play and what I thought people would want to hear,” she explains. “I didn’t do that with this record. I’m not trying to get anybody to like me with this album. Nothing’s forced. I was me, I didn’t make this record for anyone but me and I think it’s okay to do things for yourself every now and then.” Her new approach has produced an album that is her strongest, most personal effort yet. In fact, by not worrying about what anyone wanted to hear, she just may have made the record everyone was waiting for after falling in love with her on American Idol in 2006.

Continue on after the jump for more dish about Pickler’s brand new CD …

Photo: Russ Harrington

Pickler cowrote six of 100 Proof’s 11 songs and even exposes some raw nerves on “Mother’s Day,” a track she cowrote with her husband, songwriter Kyle Jacobs. The song is a moving and wistful nod to her estranged mother, yet despite the tricky subject matter the writing session with Jacobs remained positive. “We wrote it right before we got engaged, actually,” Pickler reveals, admitting that mixing business with pleasure luckily comes easily for them. “We’ve written many times since we’ve been married. It’s not weird, it’s actually really a beautiful thing because we share so much of the same passions. It’s really neat: You get to know each other even more when you write together. It’s very intimate.”

The CD’s “Tough” and “The Letter (To Daddy)” also shine some light into the darker corners of Pickler’s past, but there’s plenty of fun packed in there, too. In “Where’s Tammy Wynette,” the opening track on the CD, Pickler calls upon the spirit of the queen of country music when she sings, “tell me how you fry a skillet of chicken in high heels and a skirt,” all while staying “torn between killing him and loving him.” And “Unlock That Honky Tonk” promises to have fans singing into their hairbrushes in mirrors all across the country come Saturday night. “I think that’s definitely going to be the party anthem off the record,” Pickler predicts. “I see that as the getting ready anthem for a fun night out with your girlfriends, or your guy friends or whoever.”

Heck, Cat Appreciation Month is right around the corner—maybe your cats want to party a little, too.

I have a friend who has vowed to raise his child “Facebook-free”. It should come as no surprise that I don’t know anything about his daughter. I think of Facebook as a nice place to share some stories. In fact, my husband has several family members in Argentina who have never met our kids but get to know all about them via Facebook. How is that a bad thing?

I’m certainly not a private person (I mean, why should I care if someone wants to see Sophia’s latest fashion ensemble? I mean, she is pretty cute!) but I suppose I could use a good “friend clean-up”. I mean, why am I letting the guy who was a cocky jerk in Jr. High enjoy beautiful pictures of my kids? Admittedly, I only accepted his friend request to see if he held onto his good looks or if he got fat and bald. Answer: It was the latter and for some twisted reason that kinda makes me happy.
So, I’ll do a little friend housekeeping (goodbye Jr. High jerk!) but for those of you that I keep on my list, you can count on me to keep over-sharing everything about my kids, my husband, my job, my blogs, my vacations, my house, and my life. And if it’s too much for you, go ahead and unfriend me. I don’t mind.

Jenny’s turn: Jenny was feeling trapped—Tom is a workaholic, and all the couple ever talks about these days is how to homeschool their kids. All the parents at their church do it, and the couple was supposed to take it on together, but now Jenny basically does all of the work, and occasionally Tom makes a bossy suggestion. With all of this on her plate—and all of the housework—Jenny doesn’t have time for the gym, Bible class or coffee with friends, so she started spending hours on Facebook to feel less lonely. That’s when Grant sent her a message. They started talking and texting, and Grant made Jenny feel like herself again, which she really missed. Eventually, they decided to meet up and spend the day together. Jenny lied to Tom and had dinner with Grant. Every step of the way, she knew it was wrong, but couldn’t help it—until her kissed her in their room at an inn. Jenny immediately felt awful and told him to leave, and she went home the next morning and told Tom everything, sobbing. Will she be able to convince him that he’s the only one she truly loves?

Tom’s turn: First of all, there’s no way he believes that Grant didn’t spend the night with Jenny. Does she take him for an idiot? He was shocked when Jenny confessed, but looking back on everything he can’t believe he missed the warning signs. Their cell phone log shows 300 pages of calls between Jenny and Grant, and Tom always thought she was just excited to reconnect with her friends on Facebook—not her ex-boyfriend! He knew the homeschooling was hard on her, but he didn’t think it had gotten this bad. If he ever cut Jenny off when they were talking about the kids, it was only because he hates arguing. He can’t believe she’s done this to him—and he’s not sure he can move past it.

The counselor’s turn: When they went to see the counselor, Tom was, not surprisingly, still furious, but they needed to focus on what each of them had done wrong to start rebuilding trust—Jenny was responsible for her actions, but what caused them? Their relationship had combusted at some point, but they were in too deep to really see when, so the counselor had them make a marriage timeline. After doing so, it was clear that a spike in tension occurred after Tom started working more and Jenny started homeschooling the kids. They’d both become super stressed out, and stopped taking time to spend with each other (and, of course, the appearance of Grant threw an even uglier wrench in the mix). They decided to scale back. Tom would shave off an hour here or there from his work schedule and leave a bit later to spend mornings with Jenny, the kids would go back to public school (a huge relief), and Jenny would cut all ties with Grant. They now have couple-y rituals like calling each other when they’re apart and taking bike rides to help remind them how to feel like a husband and wife—and it’s working. After counseling, Tom and Jenny renewed their vows, promising to each other that they’d continue to tend to their marriage.

What rituals do you and your husband share to make you feel closer? Tell us in the comments or tweet us at @MarriageBeSaved with the hashtag #CTMBS.

Photo: David McClister.

After occupying the country radio charts for a marathon 48-week stint, David Nail has finally been rewarded with his first, well-deserved number-one song: “Let It Rain,” the first single off of his The Sound of a Million Dreams CD. Now that he’s top of the heap, though, don’t expect him to lose the perspective he’s been given on his rise to that position. “There have been a lot of times over the course of my career that it didn’t look like I’d be able to make a record, much less have two out and get to travel the country and tour with people,” the Missouri native told me on a recent visit to the Journal. “My short-term and long-term goals are always one in the same. I hope to do something today that allows me a tomorrow. I hope to do something this year that allows me another year. I do not take things for granted.”

Case in point was his reaction to his Grammy nod last year for his vocals on “Turning Home,” off of 2009’s I’m About to Come Alive. “I can’t remember anything in my life being more unexpected,” Nail says of the moment he got the call about his nomination in the Best Male Country Vocal category. “It was just a whirlwind. I remember literally dropping to my knees and just being overcome with surprise and emotion. I kind of teared up a little bit, went and hugged my wife and said, ‘Baby, I’ve spent a long time trying to get people to like what I do. And evidently the people in this town like what I do.’ ”

Hear Nail sing three stripped-down songs for the LHJ staff after the jump.

His fans across the country aren’t complaining much, either. If you follow him on Twitter you’ll see that he not only talks the talk, he (excuse the word and phrase play) twalks the twalk of gratitude by maintaining one of the most engaging and appreciative conversations with his supporters—the Nail Nation—of any artist through that medium. Entertaining proof of this came when someone recently pondered about whether Nail himself actually signs the promo CDs that go out. Nail, in turn, tweeted back a photo of the stacks he was signing at that very moment as he watched TV, no doubt doubly endearing himself to anyone who might have been having the same doubts. (The bonus, by the way, of following Nail on Twitter is that you’ll get such in-depth college and pro sports analysis that by sheer osmosis you’ll be qualified for most on-air positions at ESPN.)

So, with a killer voice, his first number-one under his belt, a nation of loyal fans and a second album chock full of high-charting potential, Nail seems poised to make Nashville’s all-star team in 2012. That turns to speculation over what the follow-up single to “Let It Rain” will be, so in an homage to Nail’s athletic leanings (and, well, because I’m a dork) I couldn’t help but create my own next-single sports bracket for what I’m thinking/hoping for in terms of his second release. Check my brackets out after the jump and let me know if you agree. You’ll also find the video of Nail’s in-office LHJ performance after the jump, as well as to his takes on everything from where he fits into the current Nashville music scene and what charitable effort he’s passionate about, to why Taylor Swift reminds him of Garth Brooks, and more.

Here’s my dream next-single-release bracket for Nail’s follow-up single to “Let It Rain.” What’s your dream bracket look like?

On whether he was concerned about backlash from female fans over the cheating subject matter of TSOAMD’s first single, “Let It Rain” …
Man, people definitely questioned whether or not it was a good idea. I think at the end of the day, it’s not like this is the first cheating song ever to be written or recorded. You know, I’d like to think that at least in this guy’s position, he’s not running away from the guilt. He’s more or less saying, whatever it is that I need to go through, experience or whatever it’s going to take, I’m willing to go to that extreme to prove that I’m remorseful.

On not having a rough-hewn sound or image in the good ol’ boys’ club of Nashville …
With me, a guy by the name of Glen Campbell has always been a huge influence on me and he was every bit in real life an outlaw that maybe the supposed outlaws were, but his sound was a little different. I think there’s a place for everybody. I feel like [the other artists] respect and appreciate what I do. I was an athlete for a long time and I’m competitive in that regard, but it’s really hard for me personality wise to feel that pressure or whatever against somebody else. I think we all recognize how difficult it is and we all kind of have a sense of respect for everyone’s path.

On differences between TSOAMD and 2009’s I’m About to Come Alive …
I really have tried to trust my gut and trust my instincts. I feel like I have a fairly good ear for music and I think people have grown to expect a certain kind of music from me—not that I want to stay in that place, by any means. I always want to grow. I think with this record that we kind of said okay, here’s a little bit of the old record, but we want to kinda pique your curiosity even more so.

On how Lee Ann Womack lent a woman’s touch to the album’s “Songs for Sale” …
It was hilarious. Lee Ann’s married to my producer [Frank Liddell] and we were at their house working out some of the arrangements of the songs. Lee Ann wasn’t in the room but I guess she could hear from upstairs. When Frank ran up to grab a pen or print something off or something, Lee Ann “suggested” that we sing the song in the first key and not the key that we had sung it the last two times. So Frank came down and let that be known. Everybody in the room kinda had a chuckle and the rest of the day we all carried on as if we knew Lee Ann was upstairs listening. When I called her out on it, I said, “You know, you should definitely get your name on the record in the producer credits.” I later asked her to be a part of it and it just kind of all made the story a little better, the fact that she ended up singing on the song.

On his introduction to Twitter …
I can remember my management at the record label begging me to get involved with this thing called Twitter and I thought, that’s so ridiculous. Who cares that I’m eating lunch at Arby’s right now? But then, I mean, I’ve never done drugs but it just became addicting like a drug. It’s a lot like radio. You’ve got this microphone, you’ve got this outlet. You can’t really see any of the people that you’re talking to but you know that there are people out there who are reading.

On Twitter’s pitfalls …
I’m a big sports fan so I’ll make comments that people will just take so personally and you try to explain to them that it’s not personal, that it’s just, hey I’m a fan of this team and you’re a fan of that team, it’s okay for us to disagree with this. It’s not life or death. I’m not talking about your family. But the more you try to explain it, the more fired up they get and the more they hate you! I think it’s a brilliant avenue to share news with people. I’m amazed that people will come on Twitter and ask what time the show is tonight or where I’m playing in this city. It’d be so simple for you to go to the website and see because I can’t answer every single person, or I will answer it and four hours later someone will ask me again.

On how he controls his Twitter habit …
I’m addicted to it. But my wife is not crazy about getting too personal and I definitely am not supposed to tweet when I’m with her, eating dinner or spending time with her. I’ve tried to learn to keep some kind of balance.

On what he learned from touring with Taylor Swift this past fall …
I learned that somebody can sit up there at 21 years old and have 25,000 people in the palm of her hand. And that in reality if she told them all to go to the bathroom, they’d all go to the bathroom. If she told them all to go buy popcorn, they’d go buy popcorn. I’ve obviously not gotten to that point in my career where I can affect that many people. It’s been a long time since this guy’s played and I was 16 or 17 years old the last time I went and saw him, but the only person I’ve seen even remotely close to it is Garth [Brooks]. To have that many people almost in a trance. Fixated on her. Her work ethic and how much control she has over every tiny little detail definitely humbles you and makes you feel like you’re pretty worthless.

On the Payton Wright Foundation—which raises funds and awareness for pediatric brain cancer—an organization that he’s been involved with since 2006 …
You start talking about kids dying … it’s so sad to talk about. But that’s kind of the route that the Payton Wright Foundation takes: Hey, you’re damn straight it ain’t positive. But we’re never gonna have the ability to put an end to it if we don’t raise awareness and tell people about how this affects not only the child going through it but the family. And [Holly and Patrick Wright, who lost their 5-year-old daughter Payton in May 2007] are brilliant people. The amount of energy and strength it must take after going through something like that—to wake up every day and let that be your absolute primary focus is just … that’s why I love following [Patrick] on Twitter. I’ll be having the worst day and I’ll be complaining about something so minute, and then I’ll see a tweet by him and it makes you feel like … I mean, you think your day is bad, but …

On sightseeing at the World Trade Center memorial while in New York City …
The first time I ever came to New York was 6 months to the day [after September 11]. I can remember as we were flying in that day, and I was 21 years old, I just got this anger and this sadness built up because suddenly 6 months later it seemed real to me. I felt like I had been cheated out of an opportunity. So yesterday to go down there and just see it, it was beautiful. And you just sit there kind of flashing back. I think that it is one of the coolest things I ever experienced. I found myself watching other people who were looking for names. They have people out there with these little handheld things that guide you to where your relative is and you would see all these little flowers stuck in the names. A couple people tweeted me back saying, “I can remember that day when my husband didn’t come home,” and it just hits you like a ton of bricks.

It’s all so dramatic and that drama, sadly, often overshadows what weddings are really about (or supposed to be)—love. Oh, did all of those reality-show tricks make you forget? Jeffrey Zaslow, author of the bestselling The Girls From Ames, hasn’t forgotten. His new book, The Magic Room (Gotham), tells brides’ tales from the gown-hunting trenches, but from a genuine, warm-hearted angle that underscores the process as a special milestone for mothers and daughters.

The Magic Room chronicles the stories that happen inside Becker’s Bridal, a mom-and-pop boutique in small-town Fowler, Michigan. It’s no Kleinfeld, but its legacy as a bridal destination is just as impressive: Founded in 1934, it’s been owned and operated by nearly four generations of the Becker family.

The Beckers have seen their share of brides and moms visit the store’s “magic room” (the mirrored alcove in which you’ll know if you’ve found the one—the one dress, that is), and Zaslow shares six brides’ unique life stories, including the meet-cutes with their fiancés and why they’re shopping at Becker’s, a store that’s become more than just a place you go to pick out a white dress. It’s where you go—with your mom by your side—to decide what you’ll wear on the day that your life changes forever.

One of my favorite brides was the spunky 40-year-old Meredith, who brings her mother and sister-in-law to Becker’s to her help choose her gown. Though 40 isn’t old, per se, it’s certainly older as brides go, and both Meredith and her mother were beginning to think she was never going to find someone to share her life with (she had even sworn off dating!). But one evening at a Polish social hall, Meredith met Ron, a 42-year-old “friend of a friend of a friend.” Now, she’s in the market for a wedding dress. Which one will it be? You may be surprised.

If you’re looking for a slice of truly homespun Americana that’ll make you say “awwwww” (or, okay, even if you just need something to fill the gap between Four Weddings and Brides of Beverly Hills) you’ll devour The Magic Room. Even I, a self-confessed wedding reality show junkie, appreciated the reminder that the big day should come with more than just glitz and glamour.

Her turn: Pam’s adult life was a challenge from the start. After growing up with an alcoholic mother, Pam found out she was pregnant at 17. She decided to keep the baby, Zoe, and marry the father, but that quickly turned disastrous—he was abusive and Pam eventually left him. But then things started to look up—she got her GED and met Jack in class. She thought he was charming and fun, and after two years they were happily married. Jack even adopted Zoe, and a few years later twin boys Sam and Max were born. At about that time, Pam took motherhood on by storm and Jack threw himself deeper into his work. Over time this caused tension—Pam appreciates that Jack provides for the family but he never spends time with them or helps out with parenting. And now she’s discovered the kicker. After answering his cell phone one day, she heard the voice of another woman. She confronted Jack and it all came pouring out—he’s been having one-night stands when he travels for business. He says they mean nothing, but can she ever trust him again?

Jack’s turn: Jack, too, had a rough childhood and an alcoholic mother, so when he met Pam and fell in love, he was delighted. He and Zoe hit it off, he was finally doing well in school, and before he knew it, they were married, he was a new dad, and he’d earned himself a great (though intense) job. He doesn’t know how he came to start cheating on his wife—it’s just something that happened. After working long days on his many business trips, he’d meet up with colleagues, have a little too much wine and well, one thing would lead to another. He’s filled with regret, but he’s not totally giving Pam a pass. He thinks she treats him like an outsider when it comes to raising the kids and criticizes him all the time. He feels like he comes in last, and he’d prefers to retreat into his work than argue. Still, he hopes Pam can find a way to forgive him so they can try working harder on their marriage.

The counselor’s turn: Business travelers can be easily tempted to cheat, but it doesn’t just happen. There’s got to be some underlying circumstance that triggers it, which the counselor aimed at digging up. After asking the couple to look back on their marriage, something huge came out during their counseling session. Jack and Pam had another son, James, who died in a tragic accident at 22 months old. The couple was never the same again. They sought grief counseling separately, never spoke of James and drifted further apart, never regaining their enthusiasm for each other and their family. Getting this off their chests was a huge breakthrough, and the counselor was able to give them a plan to start healing together. She instructed them to take time for true 20-minute conversations so they’d start hearing each other more—Pam could no longer just talk over Jack. Eventually, Pam let go of her anger and worked on forgiving her husband. Jack got a new job that requires less travel, and is consciously taking real steps toward rebuilding their trust. Now, the couple is happily cleaning up their marriage together.

How do you and your husband work on communicating better? Tell us in the comments or tweet us at @MarriageBeSaved with the hashtag #CTMBS.

So there you have my four big goals for 2012. I figure if I put them in writing, then I’ll be more apt to do them. What are you resolving to do? Write it in the comments and make it happen!

It was so much fun getting to share a stage with Jason Aldean!

I’ve been writing the Nashville Diaries blog for five months now and things are getting pretty serious between us, wouldn’t you say? I guess that means I can share a secret with you then: I cried when I watched Taylor Swift’s 60 Minutes special over Thanksgiving. I bawled like a little baby, wondering what had overcome me. I guess what overwhelmed me was the way she answered her questions with such poise, all the clips of young girls crying and screaming for her at her concerts, and ultimately my desire to someday affect people the same way she does.

Still, when I saw her at a Christmas party the other day I couldn’t bring myself to tell her how much she had inspired me, let alone even just introduce myself. I’m still wondering why I hesitated—and it’s not that I’m too cool for school (which, by the way, is overrated and dumb). I think it was just that I was afraid of bothering someone who probably hears praise like that all the time yet, when I think about it, that makes no sense at all. True, the saying goes, “If you have nothing nice to say, then don’t say anything at all,” but I think there should also be a saying that goes, “If you have something nice to say, then by all means, say it!” Well, at least I’ve confessed my sob session to you all and I’ve put it out there in the universe. In the future, though, I’ll try to remember that it’s never inappropriate to pay someone a heartfelt compliment, and that applies to all times of the year, not just when spreading Christmas cheer! (Rhyming is cool.)

Truth be told, emotions always run a little high for me around the holidays. The music business winds down for a bit this time of year and I’m, of course, excited about the holidays but I’m also anxious to tie up various loose ends before everyone takes a break. Don’t even get me started on my tendency to procrastinate when it comes to Christmas shopping. Luckily I have two very proactive sisters who have helped me quickly and painlessly get the shopping done for my family.

So much has happened in the past months that it seems like Christmas has totally snuck up on me. I’m getting ready to put a single out in March (I can’t wait for you all to hear it!) and a full album shortly after, so I’ve been in the studio working on getting everything just right. I also recently opened for Jason Aldean during CMA week in downtown Nashville right by the Riverfront, which was … AWESOME! I’m a big Jason Aldean fan so it was so much fun to share the stage with him. We were promoting an AMC show called Hell on Wheels, which has some very ruggedly handsome men and a post Civil War revenge plot—juicy stuff! I attended the CMA awards the next day, which was fun and surreal. I also spent a day giving interviews to all the radio stations that had traveled to Nashville to broadcast from Music City during CMA week. And then, last but not least, the LHJ Nashville Diaries Sweepstakes winners—Angie and her 10-year-old nephew, Jake—visited me. We got to hang out in the studio and Jake laid down some smooth vocals on one of my new songs!

Working hard in the studio with the winners of the LHJ sweepstakes.

While I’ve been keeping busy with my music, I also got to visit two incredible hospitals, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. I performed for some of the wounded soldiers and their families at Walter Reed and then walked through the facilities and saw the physical therapy room. While I was there a very outgoing soldier named Steve came over to our group and introduced himself. He was 24 and missing both legs from the knee down, but he wasn’t accepting any sympathy. In fact, he joked with me: “Hey, my feet don’t get cold in the winter and I don’t have to worry about leg room when I travel.” He used prosthetic legs to make laps around the indoor track in the physical therapy room. Steve and all his brothers and sisters who put themselves in harm’s way inspire and humble me, and it was comforting to see that Walter Reed was caring for both their emotional and physical health.

Heading to the CMAs!

At St. Jude I met Owen, 6, who has leukemia. He talked to me all about how he wears his Ohio State Buckeyes shirt every Friday when he visits his doctor, who is also a Buckeyes fan—even though Owen’s dad is an Alabama fan (roll Tide!). His dad, wearing his Crimson Tide shirt, just smiled while Owen proudly declared his alliance to Ohio State. Owen also told me how he asked for donations to be made to St. Jude’s in place of birthday presents last year and that his older sister and her best friend followed suit. Then I met Leslie, a 13-year-old songwriter who uses her condition as writing material. And I also met Luke, 17, who has bone cancer. He told me he plans to tell his future girlfriends that the scar on his leg is from a shark attack he survived! I helped him come up with a few other tales in case he gets tired of that one. (Saving children from a burning school bus was my favorite suggestion.)

The people I had the privilege of visiting—the soldiers, the children, the doctors and nurses who care for them and the families that love them—fill me with awe for the resiliency of the human spirit. They all understand how precious life is and treat every new day as a gift. Given the opportunity to greet Taylor Swift, I know that Leslie, the 13-year-old songwriter, would not hesitate. She would march right up to the megastar and enthusiastically say, “You inspire me!” Next time I’m feeling tentative, I’ll be sure to think of Leslie … and Steve … and Owen … and Luke.