​This week has been super crazy but super exciting at the same time.
I have had some really successful meetings between experiencing some of the best that country music has to offer. The CMA Festival never fails to outdo itself and this year is no exception. The talent on show is obviously the best of the best and to be here with them is one of the most rewarding experiences that I cannot begin to share with you in writing. Carrie Underwood was an absolute highlight of the second night concert at Nissan Stadium and Kelsea Ballerini getting to appear on the same stage for the first time shows how much she deserves to be here.
 
All I can say is if you ever have to opportunity to attend the CMA Festival at any time make sure you jump at the chance and you too will be addicted for the rest of your life. Nashville turns it on for this week and the amazing locals of this wonderful city are the friendliest and happiest people who make everyone feel welcome.
 
Apart from fantastic music and concerts I have had incredible meetings with some songwriters and producers and I am excited beyond words to have officially been accepted into the stable of one of the eminent writers / producers here in Nashville and will be returning in the next couple of months to work on my EP, not making any promises by hopefully it will not be too long before I have some new songs for you all.
 
I really cannot stop raving about this wonderful city and the fantastic people living here.
If you have any interest in country music whatsoever (which I presume you would not be reading this blog if you don’t love it) you must visit this city and make sure you do the tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame, visit the Grand Ole Opry and tour the Ryman Theatre.
 
Off to Disneyland and then Vegas next, will give you another update as soon as I can.

This is a real quick note this week.
For those of you who do not know already, Clare Bowen is in town.
I was lucky enough to meet up with her on the weekend at her show at the Metro Theatre in Sydney. Now as an Australian who has made it big in the USA being best known for her role as Scarlett O’Connor in the ABC musical drama television series Nashville (which also happens to be the best TV series ever made!), this girl is so down to earth and an absolute pleasure to talk to.

Clare’s performance was excellent, she put on show her incredible talent and wide range of abilities at the same time as taking us on a journey with her through her life and struggles to reach this point in her life and career.
 Clare, you are an inspiration to us all and best wishes to you and your family at this time of need.
  Catch you all again soon when I will come to you from Nashville, USA.

Every girl knows she is a princess…Right?
Well, every girl should know what it is like to be treated like a princess in my opinion.
Girls everywhere in the world are special and deserve to be respected and treated in a way they grow up understanding equal rights but at the same time experiencing chivalry at its best.
As you know by now I grew up in a house with 4 male siblings and had to be just as tough as they were, but being a girl means I had different needs at times and certainly saw things in a different light than the boys did (no.. I do not see the humour in fart jokes).
Part and parcel of being a girl growing up was having to deal with all the usual girl issues (I know these apply to boys too!) such as the bitching and bullying at school, making sure I am wearing the “right” clothes, having the “right” friends and having the “right” interests (and again, no - country music did not really fit into that category), and so when it came to our year 12 formal it was a major event that we had to spend a fortune on a dress, car, hotel and anything else that was the “in” thing at the time.
When it comes to dress shopping in Adelaide I found there is only so many places that you can go to that are even remotely affordable and that stock dresses above size 6! Mum and I did the rounds and the rounds and the rounds trying to find something that was suitable and affordable.
Time was getting on and the formal was getting closer and closer as I was obviously getting more stressed by the second.
The male parental unit at that time just happened to be travelling to Calgary in Canada for work and offered to investigate dress shops over there. Now I know what most of you are thinking right now that how could an 18 year old girl trust an “old guy” to find a suitable dress, well that was not something that I was ever concerned with as he was my usual supplier / purchaser for everything overseas, from MAC makeup to Bath & Body Works candles (BTW you just have to keep an eye out for the 3 wick candles for special occasions, I can’t go past the Christmas collections each year).
 
The girls at the Calgary office thought it was a great laugh that he was dress shopping for me and took it in turns volunteering to take him to the local bridal and debutante shops. Now keep in mind here that I was working on a budget in Australia of about $300 and thinking that was exorbitant for one night, so it was a real shock when he texted me a photo of a dress that was perfect but was in excess of double my original amount, but, it was “THE” dress.
The next part of this adventure came when the dress had to be brought back to Australia as part of the normal baggage, thanks must go to Qantas here as the airline staff were very accommodating at looking after the suit bag containing my precious cargo once they heard the story behind it.
 
As I had not had the opportunity to try on the dress I was panicking about the fact it would not fit when it finally arrived in Australia, I was not surprised when it did not actually fit however I was still extremely depressed at the same time that it would not be right for the night.
 
As yet another side note here – girls, being a drama queen may make you feel a little better as you release your frustration, but remember you need to stop and listen as well as look at the problems you are facing and tackle them one by one head on, trust me it works much better than kicking, screaming and foot stomping even when those last three things feel great sometimes. I unfortunately did not have a grasp of these words of wisdom at the time I was trying on this dress so there was a measurable amount of the kicking, screaming and foot stomping thrown into the mix.
 
Now, as usual I have digressed and I know you are all wondering what this is about and what the dress actually looked like, well as you have probably guessed my mum made it all perfect for me yet again. The dress was taken to our friendly dress maker who made it fit perfectly, a room at the hotel connected to the venue was booked and the makeup / hairdresser was arranged.

So, the Princess experience was complete, I have said it before and will continue to say that I will never be able to repay my mum for everything she does for me and for the unconditional love she gives me.
I can only hope that all you other girls out there are given the opportunity to experience the Princess experience at least once in your lives and that you can find someone to share your life with that also believes you should be treated as such.
 
This dress is almost like a bridesmaid dress, perfect for the event it was intended for but not practical for any other time. Fortunately I have been lucky enough to wear my dress for another function whilst at AIM. I cannot ever imagine getting rid of this dress as I hold such strong feelings for it.
 
So to all the Princesses out there remember you do not need a dress to be special but a special dress can certainly lift you right up there.
Don’t accept being treated badly or put down but believe in yourself and know that once you leave school you will probably never see any of the people again unless you choose to and what seems to be a major issue to you today may not even rate a mention in the years to come.
 
As always I would love to hear your stories or see your photo’s, please feel free to send them to me.
 
So for now, lots of love and stay safe and well.

Now, before you read too far I am not talking about Sasha (my BFF and flatmate) or any of my male siblings, I am talking about our family pets back in Adelaide.
I am a firm believer that for a family to be complete there must be some kind of foreign being amongst the humans, whether it be dog, cat, turtle, snake, bird or any other pet that can be loved by all.
 
As a sideline here you will notice I neglected to mention spiders as pets, whilst some of you may believe that having a hairy eight-legged arachnid in your house constitutes a pet I am firmly on the negative side of that argument! Spiders to me are necessary but they should be neither seen nor heard and they should learn house manners – I did not invite you in - so stay out!
 
Now sometimes there are circumstances whereby a pet is not a viable option, in which case can I suggest a regular trip to the local animal shelter or even cat café :)
 
Growing up in a house being the only girl with 4 male siblings has it challenges and I learnt to be just as tough as them on most occasions, but sometimes a girl needs a confidant or someone to listen without judgement – enter Dash.

Dash is a Labrador / Golden retriever cross who is currently coming up for her 12th birthday, so for you bright readers out there you will realise I have grown up with Dash as part of the family for almost as long as I can remember
(eg: 21-12=9)

It is amazing how non-judgmental a dog can be; no matter what I told her or how much I ranted and raved she just listened. Then when I painted her toe nails pink and put a big lipstick kiss on her head she just smiled and waited for another treat.

Sometimes I wish there were more people in this world with that talent.
Dash has been through some rough times in her later years suffering from cancer and having operations to remove some large lumps, thankfully for now she is doing well and I hope she will be around for ever!

The other two animals that dwell in our humble abode are Sooty the cat and Sparky the turtle. Sooty is about the same age as Dash but cats being cats she is not overly interested in being hugged, squeezed or having a deep and meaningful conversation, however when she wants a warm lap to lie on she is not shy about coming forward – someone once coined the saying that dogs have owners and cats have staff – I agree with that one whole heartedly.

Sparky on the other hand just floats around his tank waiting for you to visit the freezer, he can see what you are doing and starts splashing and carrying on until he gets his little frozen block of who knows what, he snaps it up and swallows it whole and I am sure then spends the rest of the day with indigestion until it thaws in his gut enough to be digested. Sparky was a birthday present for me when I turned 4 years old – and no, I am not doing the math for you again – he is a healthy and from what we can tell a reasonably happy member of our family, however his interaction with us stops at the point of getting food, not what I would say is a great pet if you want to hug, but on the other hand he has a personality all his own and is very much a treasured part of my growing up.
 
It is amazing how attached we become to our animals and they to us. When you are down, lonely, lost, upset or any other emotion us humans suffer, our pets have nothing but a calm disposition and unending love for us, is this something we can all learn from?
 
During my gap year I was living at home in Adelaide and waiting for my time with Camp America, I was alone most days as my parents were working and my siblings all at school, my only company on those days were my fur buddies, we would sit in bed for hours on end all watching my favourite show from the US (Nashville of course), I swear Dash was following the plot as closely as I did. Without their company I am sure I would have gone stark raving mad from boredom and loneliness.
Anyway, the whole purpose of this rant and trip down memory lane is to share the delight of having pets. To love unconditionally as most animals can is something I am in awe of and wonder if ever mankind will even come close to that ability.
 
Feel free to drop me a line sharing some of your wonderful animal stories or even dispute the fact that hairy creatures with eight legs and multiple sets of eyes can actually be suitable pets!
 
Til next time.

When you spend 3 years of your life in a different city from where your family home is, you have a lot of time to think. Time to think about what your plans are for the future, what you miss at home and how much you miss everything you have been used to, especially family and friends. Time to think about what you are leaving behind and what you are headed toward.
This solo experience has always been something I looked forward to, even though some people think I must be crazy for liking it. Every day I find myself analysing some new part of my life. This journey, I have thought a lot about how lucky I am to have grown up in my small city in South Australia. But it wasn’t always this way. When I neared the end of my final year of high school, I was scared of the future and the unknown. After 13 years of schooling I did not know any other way of life, I was excited for what may come, but I also realized I would have to leave my home and travel to a much bigger city and survive completely alone.
I had already arranged a “Gap Year” so I could travel to USA and work as a counselor with Camp America, for anyone reading this that may be considering doing something similar my advice would be to do it, you will forever be grateful and will grow personally from the experience.
Fast forward to my first year at university and I was dying to go home. I remember spending hours on the phone to my mum at home whilst she supported me and tried to help me deal with the loneliness and constant feeling of being homesick. I have been fortunate to make some fantastic lifelong best friends that helped me through the downtimes, I put my mum at the very top of that list and cannot thank her enough for the support and unconditional love she has given me through all the good times and bad. My first year at University was spent living in a single bed room in a Uni accommodation building. Whilst there was a great deal of fun had here, it certainly made me so much more thankful for the place that I came from.


I am always fighting back tears whenever I leave Adelaide and head back to Sydney. Despite how desperately I wanted to leave after high school, I will always be tied to my hometown. I can’t go anywhere in Adelaide without being overcome with eighteen years worth of memories. My idea of “home” is this undeniable combination of memory and reality that I will always hold close.
My mother always says “You never know what you’ve got until it’s gone,” and I certainly learned that after moving away. Lucky for me, she also says “You can always go home.” It will never really be gone; after all, home is where my heart is
So, to sum this all up:  Do not miss out on great opportunities that present themselves because you are scared to leave home, you will always come back, you will always remember the great times and everything else that went together to make your home important. However, your life will be much richer from the opportunities you will have by discovering the world through your own eyes.
 
Do not be a stranger to your home, but do not be buried under the memories of it either!

Till next time.

Hello everyone,
 
Thank you all so much for your overwhelming support of my new website.
 
I hope to keep you all updated with weekly blogs about everything from my likes, not-so-likes, family, travel and of course my musical journey.
 
This week is all about preparing for my first serious songwriting session, to say I am excited would be an understatement. It has taken a while for everything to fall into place but I am so looking forward to working with George Sich (georgesich.com) to produce what will hopefully be my debut single!! So please stay tuned for some new music very soon.
 
Rehearsals are also well underway for Reefer Madness, only 5 weeks left until opening night. If you are in Sydney please come and see the show…visit my home page for the link to purchase tickets. And don’t forget to come and introduce yourself after the show.
 
The countdown is also on for CMA 2016 in June. I am hoping to make some valuable connections whilst in Nashville and have been working hard with my management to be as ready as I can be…so fingers crossed! Oh and keep an eye out for my blogs from the music city.
 
Finally, over the weekend I was invited to yet another themed party…is it just me or am I the only one that likes dress up parties? . I would love to know what you think?
 
Until next-week…
 

I am so happy, thankyou all so much for following me and supporting me. When I started this I would never have believed it could go this far. I wonder where we will all be in another year.

Well my website  has finally gone live. please come back often as I will update you all on what is happening with this fantastic journey that is life!