why I love the road ✦
There's something about a long open highway that makes everything feel possible. Windows down, a good playlist rolling, the world stretching out ahead of you — that's freedom.
Road trips taught me that the journey really is the destination. Every mile has a story.
dream roads to drive ✦
- Route 66 end to end
- Pacific Coast Highway, California
- Big Bend, Texas at golden hour
- Blue Ridge Parkway in autumn
- Overseas Highway, Florida Keys
the perfect road trip playlist ✦
Definitely going to rotate between the 3 playlists (Side B, C, & D) on my Mixtape page.
a road trip memory ✦
My favorite road trip memory is our Appalachian road trip. We made stops in LA, MS, AL, and TN to explore hiking, food, waterfalls, Dollywood, Anakeesta, the Smokey Mts. It was a wonderful adventure of scenery, laughs, park rides, treetop trails, off-roading in Jeeps, and bears!
about this shrine ✦
As a songwriter, there are songs that stop me in my tracks — lyrics so true, melodies so perfect, that I feel them in my bones. These are the songs I hope to write at the level of one day. They inspire me to keep writing, keep feeling, keep reaching.
Jack & Diane - John Mellencamp✦
"Oh yeah, life goes on. Long after the thrill of living is gone. "
There's something about this song that will just take you back to being 17 with your whole life in front of you. I love this song.
I Feel Lucky - Mary Chapin Carpenter✦
“The moral of this story, it’s simple but it’s true. Hey the stars might lie but the numbers never do. I feel lucky.”
I love this whole song. It's one of my Top 5. It's witty. It's hopeful. It's fun and fun to sing with. I would love to write more like this.
Hard Candy Christmas - Dolly Parton✦
"I'm barely getting through tomorrow, but still I won't let my sorrow bring me way down"
I've got to give Dolly her flowers. A life long songwriter who has graced us with many hit songs and one of the jolliest souls too. Hard Candy Christmas is probably my favorite.
Lover - Taylor Swift✦
"We could leave the Christmas lights up 'til January; This is our place, we make the rules."
I love how simple, yet unique, lived in, and storytelling this line is to open a song. I love the storytelling of this whole song. It's warm and comfortable, like sweatpants, on the couch, cozy in your home.
what makes a song transcendent? ✦
Transcendent songs aren't perfection. They're truth - a deeply human one, past the fad and wit of today. It's a truth that resonates with the soul of its time, and still 50 years later, it's just as true and deeply resonating to a different generation. Every songwriter would love to be a part of that.
why I love all things vintage ✦
There's a warmth to old things that modern life can't replicate. The grain of a film photo, the crackle of a vinyl record, the curves of a '57 Chevy — it all feels more human somehow. More intentional.
Vintage isn't just an aesthetic to me — it's a feeling. Slower, warmer, realer.
vintage things I adore ✦
- Classic American muscle cars
- Film cameras & polaroids
- Vinyl records
- Drive-in movie theaters
- Old diners with jukeboxes
- Vintage postcards
era I wish I could visit ✦
I would like to visit the 1950-60s, briefly, just to see what that time was like - when drive ins, vintage diners and cars were the norm. I would have a burger, a shake, and watch a drive in movie. 🎞️
vintage finds & treasures ✦
My vinyl record collection is probably the most vintage thing I own. 📀️
a love letter to love itself ✦
Love is the thread that runs through every lyric, interaction, memory, and connection. Not just romantic love — but the love between friends, family, strangers, the world, and even within ourselves.
Connection is what makes us human. And music is a direct line between one heart and another.
love languages ✦
- Great company, food, and conversation
- Laughter over shared experiences
- The memories that warm and recharge my soul
songs about love I return to ✦
- Faithfully - Journey
- I Want to Know What Love Is - Foreigner
- This Kind of Love - Sister Hazel
- (Everything I do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams
Again, so many songs can go here. But here's some timeless romantic ones from the top of my head.
love as a songwriter ✦
I think nearly all songs are ultimately about love in all its formats - romance, God, friends, family, pets, self, life, events, memories, the exploration of it, and the loss of it too. If I'm telling a story with connection, it's influenced by love.💕