I have to say, I've never been the girl that's had the five-year plan, the 10-year plan, and I'm still not.
Garth Fundis is a song guy. He is in it for the right reasons; he's about the music. He doesn't ever try to talk you into recording something that you shouldn't. He gets it.
It's not about giving back if you're successful or a celebrity or how much money you have: it's about your responsibility as an adult to help others.
It's cool when your husband starts to sing some old Merle Haggard song and I can pop in with a harmony and it doesn't sound too bad.
Before the show, there's about two or two and a half hours of meet and greets with radio stations, promoters, people who I need to see and thank and talk to to make sure they remember me. And then, I get - out of all that day of talking and smiling and shaking hands and getting photos, I get to sing for two hours.
You start out playing in kitchens, and you end up playing in kitchens.
I'm 47, You learn life is short and it's not worth doing something if you don't enjoy it.
When we got married - almost 10 years ago now - we made a commitment to really be together, which means we hardly ever spend a night apart. And being madly in love is important, but I think it's equally important to be in deep like! I like this guy... we talk about everything, and we laugh a lot. Life is good!
Education was a given, only because of the way I was raised. Truth be told, I thought, at 15 years old, I should go and get a record deal and drop out of school, and my parents would have had none of that. I'm grateful now that my parents were pushing me in that way, because I wasn't mature enough on so many levels to do that.
Martha Stewart was the one who really did show everybody that you can do everything.
I have not heard a Martha Stewart album yet. But, you know, it could happen.
The first award I ever won was for Best New Artist from the ACMs, so they always will hold a special place in my heart.
When I was a little girl, I always dreamed of being a country music singer, but I never dreamed I'd be a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Boiled peanuts are a Southern thing.
You sign your life away, basically, when you sign a record deal, and if you have a platinum album, then you go back in and renegotiate.
I don't spend time wondering what might be next; I just focus on trying to savor every day.
The best thing that I bring in my live show is that it's not scripted. It's more of a conversation with my audience. And that's what people like about the show - it's very real. There are mistakes and laughter.
One thing my mom taught me was that when you're making deviled eggs, flip the eggs over the night before. They've been sitting in the carton as they're transported, so the yolks settle on bottom. If you flip them, then the yolks aren't skewed to one side.
Get your education, and if you see small opportunities, take them. Each one could be a stepping stone to something bigger.
I have a lot of friends who, especially in Tennessee, were looking forward to getting married who wanted to wait until it was legal in the state that they live in to get married.
