ANNE E.'S JOURNAL -July 10, 2008
	July 10, 2008 Greetings to you all and a Happy 4th of July! It's been a beautiful holiday weekend here so far. Last night I saw my first Nashville fireworks display. It was terrific. I have a great group of neighbors who invited us to a picnic then took us out to the Church of the Nazarene where lots of folks gather to watch the downtown display from East Nashville. It?s just a few minutes from our house and our neighbors know the secret parking spaces so we were all set. The show was beautiful. There were even heart shapes, stars, rings and believe it or not, a cube. These pyros are getting good...real good. After that we went on to home where we grabbed our own fireworks, went to the church parking lot right down the street and lit it up It was a frenzy. Kids and adults alike running around, laughing and blowing off fireworks. It reminded me so much of when I was a kid and could not wait to get my hands on the fireworks my uncle had purchased. He'd buy grocery bags full of fireworks and at a certain time of day we were allowed to grab what we could and start lighting. So there I was with my hands in a grocery bag pulling out the tissue wrapped explosives one more time and having a blast. After about 40 minutes of this, I heard someone say, "it's fixin' to rain." Suddenly the parking lot was empty except for about 7 of us who apparently aren't as in tune with the weather as some of our neighbors. I mean I thought "fixin" meant I had a few minutes. But in seconds the skies opened up and it just poured. It's the kind of rain you like to get caught in (unless you're on your way to an important meeting...unless it's a photo shoot then you're all set for your wet look)...warm rain that soaks your clothes in about 15 seconds. It was terrific We ran home giggling the whole way, trying to keep what was left of bottle rockets and Roman candles dry. The smell of the rain was awesome and our front porch became our new hang out. After the downpour ended we finished off the rest of our stash. It really was a great night. I?m thankful for good friends and that fireworks are legal in Tennessee As far as the business of music, all is well my friends. I continue to make contacts have found a few folks who are behind me and going to help me make things happen. I continue to write, write, write and am preparing a group of songs for publishers to hear. I won't go into any great detail here as I'd rather wait until I have something concrete to tell you about. I often hear that Nashville is a 7 or a 10 year town, but I am convinced that I honed my craft for 19 years at home and that I'm going to make something happen within my first year here. My goal is to make some progress, like get a song cut, in my first year. I already feel like I'm moving ahead. I'm so excited about some of the interest my music has received and it pushes me to write more and continue learning. I'm standing in the flow of God?s abundance and trust for things to happen as they should. All I need to do is keep paying attention to all that is offered, continue to learn and to write. Now I'd like to ask each of you to do something important. Many of you know or know of singer/songwriter Katie Reider. Katie lives in Columbus and has performed many times in Cleveland including at Round at The Winchester, the songwriters circle that I hosted. I?d like to share Katie's story with you and ask you to please please get involved. I know you will. "For over 10 years Katie Reider has inspired the hearts of thousands with her music and genuine personality. Just as she was reaching the peak of her music career a tumor developed in her upper left jaw that progressed into her sinus, skull base and left eye orbit. Over the course of one year, this rare facial tumor has taken away her sight in one eye, her voice and most importantly, her ability to perform. While her voice is gone, her music still lives. 500Kin365.org, was created with the help of Katie Reider's loyal fans to reconnect her to her audience, while she continues to undergo treatment. Our goal over the next year is to introduce 500,000 people to Katie Reider, her music and her story. Help us continue to spread Katie Reider's music over the next year by downloading "katie's Voice" (9 original songs written and performed by Katie over the last 10 years) for a $1.00 donation to her cause and linking up ONE other person to www.500Kin365.org. " Please visit and read more about Katie, listen to her music and make a purchase. Help. Well that's it from here for now. I hope you're all enjoying your summer and making sure to get outside and enjoy yourselves. I know gas prices are awful but I also wonder if one of the results is that we are spending more time hanging close to home, walking or riding our bikes, taking advantage of what's around us and spending more time with each other. Thanks to all of you who have stayed in touch and to those of you who have come out for a visit. We've had visitors all week and it's been just great. I hope to be home in the fall for a visit and a show. I'll keep you posted. Until then take it easy. An additional note! I am headed back to Florida for a few days where I will perform at a couple of my favorite spots. Come on out for a listen! Saturday, July 12, 2008- 8:30 PM -A Taste For Wine, 241 Central Ave., www.tasteforwine.net St. Petersburg, FL - Anne E. returns to her favorite spot in St. Pete for an intimate solo/acoustic performance Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 7:00 - 10:00 PM - The Whistle Stop Grill, 915 Main Street, www.whistlestopgrill.com , Safety Harbor, FL - Anne E. plays the 8pm slot for GIRLS WITH GUITARS !!!! Hosted by Stephanie Carpenter. Enjoy your summer! Anne E.