Giving thanks... (And HEY- I'm engaged!)

Yes. I am well aware that I'm over a week late on the whole "what I'm thankful for" bandwagon. But, to tell you the truth, I am really just so overwhelmingly thankful for SO many things right now, I didn't even know how to begin to put it into words.

First things first... For those of you who may not know, I am now ENGAGED to this wonderful man.

I really don't know how to explain how unbelievably full my heart is. Bobby is everything I never knew I needed... And I really can't wait to spend the rest of forever with him.

I could say so much more about how amazing he is, but I think I'll hold onto that for a little while longer. We have a wedding to plan, and I don't want to give away ALL of the details now. But let me just say one thing: I am so thankful to have Bobby in my life.

I'll also spare you all of the little details of the engagement (unless you really want to hear them... just let me know!), but here is a basic rundown.

On Saturday, November 16th, Bobby took me on a lunch date to Bosco's in Hillsboro Village. This is where we had our very first date a little over three years ago. We hadn't been back since... (this should have been a hint for me). We had a delicious lunch of pizza and beer, and then he suggested we go for a walk in Shelby Park.

We loveee Shelby Park for a number of reasons. It's relatively close to where we both live in East Nashville, there are tons and tons of amazing trails that make you feel as if you are anywhere but a major city like Nashville, and there is so much we have still yet to explore.

Now, normally we RUN when we go to Shelby, so it was a little odd that Bobby wanted to go for a walk. But I went with it. It was starting to sprinkle a little bit, so I figured it would just be a quick, little stroll to work off some of the pizza we'd just consumed.

And when we rounded the corner to the first trail, I was greeted with this sight:

 

There were little papers blowing in the wind. My immediate thought was "Oh my God, someone is going to PROPOSE here! How cool is that??" I had no idea it was all for me, until I saw this:

And then I lost it. The floodworks began. I was like a dam that was done doing its job. Tears flowed like no other. Okay, you get the idea.

All along the trail, there were memories written on notecards, ticket stubs, photos of times past, brochures of adventures we'd been on, props from Halloween costumes, etc. The best way to describe it is that we took a "walk down memory lane". Literally.

And then this happened.

And I was ABSOLUTELY, 100% completely surprised. (As you can also see by the terrible paint job on my nails).

For this, I applaud Bobby and everyone else involved. I would like to consider myself a pretty observant person-- especially when it comes to other people. But I had absolutely NO idea that he was going to propose. Looking back, there were several "red flags" that should have alerted me... The fact that his hand was clammy in the car when I tried to hold it, how he took FOREVER to get ready (which I found out later was because he was trying to time it perfectly so that it didn't rain), and how his face looked really concerned when I mentioned "possibly picking up another shift at work" the day he had planned to propose to me.

I made it really difficult for him. But he kept his composure. And he gave me the best surprise I could have asked for.

I'm especially thankful that Bobby had some amazing people to help him out... Lauren, Garrett, Bobby, Mel, his parents, my mother, my brother... They ALL kept it a secret from me. And they helped him set it up, deal with logistics, etc. It's really quite impressive.

Speaking of people I'm thankful for...

These two are definitely up there. My fellow muskateers. My rock(s).

And I'm thankful for the REST of my family.... both sides and spreading for as far as I can wrap my head around. They have all been so unbelievably supportive and helpful. Many of them were not surprised at all when I called to give them the news... Saying things like, "Well, of course you're getting married." This just solidifies how much it just MAKES SENSE.

And my "soon-to-be" family. I'm thankful for them, too! I couldn't ask for a better family-in-law.

And my amazing friends. Gah. I think my eardrum almost exploded after all of the screaming it endured when I called my friends to tell them the news. I didn't know a human being could have so much excitement built up in their body.

The support is far and wide and it is overwhelming (in a good way).

Life is great, people. Life is GREAT.

Oh, and PS- I am working on new music at the moment! Along with getting married, planning a wedding, and possibly buying a house next year, I'm also working on recording some new material. 2014 is going to be insane. Awesome. But insane.

I did a session with Brite Revolution at the end of October, and the videos have just been released to the public! If you'd like to, please go watch and take a listen to live takes of TWO new songs of mine.

This is "Let Me Let You Go": http://www.briterevolution.com/sessions/let-me-let-you-go

And this is "Darling, Don't": http://www.briterevolution.com/sessions/darling-dont/

*** For some reason, those videos may not work. If this is the case, you can still listen to the songs! Just go to: http://www.briterevolution.com/artists/natalieroyal/   and scroll to the very bottom! Both of the songs are listed there ***

I'm thankful for so many things right now, I feel as if I may EXPLODE with happiness (this seems to be a running theme in some of my posts). But it is true. I'm happy, I'm in love, I'm engaged, I'm surrounded by support, and it's almost Christmas. I couldn't ask for more.



<3
Nat

Love, life, happiness, and Trader Joe's.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again and again and again and again...

I am so incredibly blessed.

Granted, I have my "down" days just like everyone else. The walls seem to be closing in, I feel alone, I'm overwhelmed, I'm stressed, I just want to curl up into the fetal position and binge-watch America's Next Top Model episodes...

But those days are few and far between. I'd say that 95% of the time, I'm overwhelmed by how much beauty, kindness, and love I have in my life. (Overwhelmed in a good way, of course).

This morning, as I was sipping on my delicious cup of liquid gold (coffee) and staring out into the beautiful sunshine-filled fall day, it hit me again. I am just so happy. Sometimes, this feeling is so strong, it almost seems like I can't breathe and that I'm going to just spontaneously combust into a million little emoticon smiley faces. (Hey-- maybe this is the secret behind the mystery of spontaneous combustion. Ya never know?)

I feel this way for a number of reasons. If I started naming off all of the wonderful things in my life, I would probably be writing this blog post for the next week straight. So I'm not going to put you through that.

However, I will say that I work at a pretty fantastic place. With pretty fantastic people.

Have you ever heard of this place?

If you haven't, I suggest you get out from under the boulder you've been living under. (Ouch. That was harsh. Just kidding! There are plenty of people that don't know about the magnificence of Trader Joe's. That's quite alright. Sad. But alright.)

When I quit my job at The Ryman Auditorium in June, I was a bucket full of various emotions. On the one hand, I was excited to start working for a company that was rated #9 on Forbes' "Top Companies To Work For List". But I was also sad to leave a place with so much history and so much music. At The Ryman, I interacted with tourists on a daily basis... some of them were so overwhelmed by the beauty of the building that they would literally start bawling the moment they stepped foot on the stage. I loved seeing people cry. (I know, I know.. this sounds evil. Maybe it is. I just thought the tears solidified how amazing my job was.)

How in the WORLD was I going to get people to cry at Trader Joe's?? I mean, the only reason I could see someone getting emotional at a grocery store is if we discontinued their favorite product.

But let me tell you a bit about TJ's. It's a wonderful place to work, because they allow us to hand out flowers to customers if it's their birthday or throw a chocolate bar into their bag if they're having a bad day. And it's totally up to each crew member to decide when to do this. If I feel like someone needs a little extra loving, I can show them (in some small way) that I care. I'm a complete stranger (and just a cashier), but I care. I can't stress how much I love this about my job.

The other day, I had a woman come through my line... We had our normal conversation about how her day was going, the weather, etc. And somehow we got onto the subject of some Dark Chocolate Almond cookies that she had been eyeing. She really wanted to try them, but decided to pass on them this time around. I don't know why, but I just felt like this lady needed those cookies. So, I rang my little bell, got a crew member to wrangle them up for me, and at the last second, I placed them on the top of her bag.

She then proceeded to cry.

I was absolutely shocked. This woman didn't seem to be having a terrible day, and all I had done was give her some extra sweets for the week. But she leaned in close and confided in me that she had just lost her mother, and that although this was a small gesture, it was one of the nicest things anyone had done for her in a very long time. I, of course, started to tear up, and the next thing I knew, we were having a little cry-fest right there at register number four. I told her about losing my father, and we briefly talked about how important it was to surround yourself with love in hard times. All of this because of some Dark Chocolate Almond cookies.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is one reason I love my job.

I also love working at Trader Joe's, because all of my coworkers are such rays of light. Every single one of them is unique and special and they are some of the happiest people I've met in my life. One thing I've learned is that if you surround yourself with happy people, it's bound to rub off on you at some point. You can't be unhappy in a sea of happiness. Well, I guess you could. But it's very difficult.

Last night, Trader Joe's put on a show at The High Watt to celebrate our 5th year anniversary of being in Nashville. All of the acts that performed were Trader Joe's employees. And let me just say how impressed I was by the entire evening. My boyfriend, who has been to countless shows here in Music City, said that it was "one of the best shows he's seen in a long time". The talent was wonderful, and it was so fun to see all of my coworkers outside of their Hawaiian shirt attire... doing what they love.

It was so wonderful to have the chance to perform again... with new songs AND my wonderful band.

This is a photo we did from a session the other day, but here they are! (+ Bobby and Vinay).

I thought that working at a grocery store would give me a solid income while I worked on my music as well. Who knew that the two would go hand in hand?

Ahhh. Life. Just.... life. It is such a wonderful thing.

And I am so incredibly blessed.

<3

Nat

Ps-- Just stumbled across our performance from last night! If you would like to watch a couple new songs and a couple oldies, check this out:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/40514462

Just a little reminder...

The Thing Is
to love life, to love it even
when you have no stomach for it
and everything you’ve held dear
crumbles like burnt paper in your hands,
your throat filled with the silt of it.
When grief sits with you, its tropical heat
thickening the air, heavy as water
more fit for gills than lungs;
when grief weights you like your own flesh
only more of it, an obesity of grief,
you think, How can a body withstand this?
Then you hold life like a face
between your palms, a plain face,
no charming smile, no violet eyes,
and you say, yes, I will take you
I will love you, again.

Ellen Bass


Happy Friday :). Hope this finds you well.

These words are overused...

...but New York, I love you.

9 months.

That's how much time passed before I finally made it back to my favorite city in the world (that I've visited, at least).

It seems completely absurd to me that it took me an entire 9 months before I couldn't stand it any longer. I thought for sure I would have made the trip loooong before I did. But, you know, stuff happens. And things that were once so much a part of your life suddenly seem like lightyears away and completely out of reach.

About two months ago, that's how I started to feel about the semester I spent in New York City. I mean, I know that I lived there for four months. The bulk of the entries in this very blog are proof. But all of those adventures... all of my time spent in that glorious city... just seemed like a complete dream.

So, sometime in late August, I started to work on a Kickstarter song for my aunt, Paula. She requested that I write about my adventures in New York City. This was a song that I had intended to write immediately upon returning to my "normal life" in Nashville... that way, all of my time spent there would be fresh on my mind.

But I didn't. Instead, I worked on other ideas. I pushed the "New York song" to the side. I think that deep down, I was afraid that finishing the song would completely end my relationship with New York City. That if I put my love in this form, it would forever cut our ties.

But when I started to realize that my memories of my time spent there were slowly slipping away, I knew that I had to write the song once and for all. And to my surprise, although 8 months had passed since I'd set foot in the city, the words just started flowing out like water from a dam. Thirty minutes in, and I realized that the song was pretty much finished in its entirety. And I am so incredibly proud of every single lyric. I know I've said this before, but I feel as if New York City is a friend of mine. A really good one. And I love her. And that may be weird, but I don't care.

Saw you first on the silver screen
The way you shined
I almost forgot how to breathe
Fought real hard for a chance to meet
You were perfect
And I was nervous in the best way

I was warned you had a dangerous streak
But you're misunderstood
You've been nothing but good to me
And I love how you never sleep
I'm always running
to keep from falling behind your pace

Don't you see what you do?
I am one in a million just chasing after you
And I know these words are overused
But New York, I love you

I'd get lost for an hour or two
Just to discover more pieces of you
And I feel safe acting like a fool
Cause there is nothing
No, nothing you haven't seen

I must admit
I'm the jealous type
When others visit you, all our memories flash through my mind
But that's why you're such a special kind
You're a melting pot of dreamers just like me

Don't you see what you do?
I am one in a million just chasing after you
And I know these words are overused
But New York, I love you

This is not the first song written for you
But it's all that I can give for now
And every line is true

Don't you see what you do?
I am one in a million just chasing after you
And I know these words are overused
But New York
New York, I love you

To get a FREE download of my song about the wonderful city, click here: New York, I Love You.

And there's a little YouTube vid of me playing it in my little Nashville room: 

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But this post isn't over yet! That was just a little amuse-bouche.

Upon finishing this song, my feelings for New York City were so out of control, I impulsively bought a plane ticket for myself and Bobby to go for a little visit. This isn't like me. I normally like to have things planned out long in advance. But nope. Just bought the tickets. Didn't even really think about where we were gonna stay or any of that.

And last week, Bobby and I had a magnificent adventure in New York City. I'll try to spare you the details in writing and instead, include an abundance of photos. Here goes!

We arrived at the Nashville airport at some ungodly hour on Monday, hopped on a couple of planes, and then pretty much immediately ended up at one of my favorite spots in the city:

Home sweet home :).

And we ate these falafel sandwiches that were literally the exact same size as my head.

And then I forced Bobby to walk about 11 miles throughout Central Park with me.

We discovered so many things I'd never seen before!

And did you know that there are waterfalls in Central Park? Ya. There are.

 And then our legs pretty much snapped clean off our bodies.

And we took the train over to Bushwick to meet up with my good ol' pal, Mackenzie. (aka: TORRES).

And we all went to get some dinner somewhere and then ended up at this awesome whiskey bar that just so happens to also make a mean grilled cheese sandwich. Noormans Kil. (My friend, Nick, bartends there, so we decided to stop on by!)

Then, Bobby, Mackenzie, and I trekked back to her apartment and passed out. SO tired.

Tuesday morning was yet another early morning for us! Bobby and I took the Megabus (same one I took last year!) to visit my grandparents in upstate New York (Lake George area).

And we chitchatted with both of them.

And we gazed out onto the beauty that is Lake George.

 And we both needed a picture with Grandpappy.

And I made Bobby walk even more.

And somehow, we were able to get ice cream TWICE in a span of less than 48 hours.

 And then as quickly as we came, we were gone. But it was oh, so wonderful to see my lovely grandparents and to catch up on life and to hug and squeeze them both.

Ps-- found this on Grammy's bedroom door before leaving. She's the best.

We got back to the city super late, so we immediately went to bed.

The next morning, we ventured out and found this little French-inspired cafe that had THE most delicious croissants I've ever had in my life.

(Bobby lookin' way too cool).

The rest of the day was spent wandering around the city... to Grand Central Station, to Chinatown for bubble tea, etc.

I may or may not have lost my wallet in there at some point... (I don't even want to get into it. But just imagine the most panicked expression someone can possibly have on their face, and that was mine for a good, solid ten blocks back to the restaurant where we ate lunch. Lo and behold, my wallet was just laying on the floor! No one had touched it. It was the most horrifying five minutes.)

And then Bobby and I got all gussied up to go out on a nice dinner date in the East Village.

But of course, it was hotter than Hades down in the subway.

And then, it started raining so hard, the water literally came through the ceiling onto the cars below.

I don't know if you can see it... but to the right of that man is a very intense downpour.

After running umbrella-less through the rain, we made it to our delicious destination.

Seriously. Just look at that.

Friday morning, we woke up and went for a run across the Brooklyn Bridge... well, to the "quarter way point".

We ate breakfast across the bridge in Manhattan at this cute, little place that I can't remember the name of now. AH. I should have remembered.

The rest of the day was spent exploring the shops in Williamsburg. And for the first time all trip, we had BEAUTIFUL weather. It wasn't hot. It wasn't humid. It wasn't raining. It was perfect.

So we chose to eat our dinner outside.

That's us winin' and dinin' at The Meatball Shop in Williamsburg. So. Good. I ordered some homemade chicken meatballs with a pesto sauce over a delicious selection of fresh veggies. YUMMO.

Later in the evening, we took a walk down to the water and came upon this glorious sight.

 Simply wonderful.

Then, we sauntered on over to the Brooklyn Bowl (music venue/bar/club/bowling alley... best combo ever) to see Mackenzie (TORRES) open up for Deer Tick.

She killed it. Per usual.

And there were so many people there... including several friends of mine that I haven't seen in a long time!

And then Deer Tick performed. Little did I know, my ears were in for a real treat. Every few years or so, Deer Tick does a tribute to Nirvana by performing the "In Utero" album in its entirety. For this brief performance, they're known as Deervana.

That's what I experienced last Friday night. And it was amazing. So so amazing. It was fun, they sounded great, people were dancing and screaming and jumping and throwing themselves all over the place. And let's just say, the night ended with the largest on-stage pillow fight I believe I will ever be witness to.

There were so many feathers, it made it extremely difficult to breathe. But who cares? YOLO. Right?

And sadly, Saturday was our day of departure.

Bobby and I devoured some avocado toast and coffee down by the water.

We packed up our things, and we had every intention of going to Siggy's Good Food (my old stomping ground) for lunch. One of the only things I wanted the entire time we were in NYC was their amazing salmon burger... And I waited until the last day to truly savor it.... And Siggy's was closed.

I was devastated for a good five minutes, and then I realized that it was just another reason to come back!

Instead, we ate some good old New York pizza for lunch, and we said our "farewells" to the city.

Gahhh.

What. a. trip.

I love it here in Nashville, but it was so wonderful to get a little taste of that city once again. It's good for my soul.

If you (whoever you are) have made it to this point, congratulations. I believe this is my longest post yet. You are a true gem.

Until next time!

<3

Nat

Life after graduation (aka: 2 Kewl 4 Skewl).

Ah. Someone HELP ME. I'm having a serious case of "blank blog". I'm staring at my open template, in all of its empty glory, and I am at a loss for words.

The truth is, I feel like so much has happened in the last few months. SO much. It's like getting together with an old friend after a few years and realizing that you have nothing to talk about, because you have SO MUCH to talk about.

I apologize for being so M.I.A. lately. Life after graduation from college was a lot more of a whirlwind than I thought it would be. And I hate to say it, but.... I kind of forgot about this blog. I know, I know. CALM DOWN.

I'm back.

So, here's a quick, possibly semi-psychotic recap for you:

I graduated from Belmont University on May 4th. And I was blessed to be surrounded by so many loving family members and friends. It was such a wonderful weekend full of fun and family and friends and food (mostly food).

And pretty soon after that, I started my first part-time job as a college graduate at the historic Nashville venue, The Ryman Auditorium.

I loved it so incredibly much. The people I worked with were about as great as they come, and I was surrounded by music and history all day long. And I got to give tours about the music and the history of the place. All day long. It was so great. 

I learned so many wonderful facts that will probably be useful in a Trivial Pursuit game at some point. (Such as, did you know that Elvis once performed Bill Monroe's song, "Blue Moon of Kentucky", at The Ryman Auditorium in his rockabilly style... and the audience hated it so much, he was booed off the stage? Betcha didn't know that one).

Sadly, my time there was short-lived. I loved working at The Ryman, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do... and another opportunity came knockin', so I answered the door.

But not before I was given a proper goodbye:

 And then, I started working at my favorite grocery store in the entire world.

Trader Joe's.

So far, I'm loving it. Once again, the people I work with are about as fabulous as they come (how do I get so lucky??), and I'm surrounded by food all day long. It's not music, but food definitely comes in a close second for me. 

And I have such flexible hours and I can STILL WORK ON MY MUSIC, which is the most important thing of all. 

At some point in the middle of these two jobs, I went on a mini after-graduation vacation with some dear friends.

(Mel was there, too).

And I was also able to go take a short visit to see my wonderful grandparents in Lake George, NY.

And several people brought it to my attention that I was the "face" of Belmont's website for a short amount of time.

Hilarious.

And my best friend from middle school moved to Nashville. And we started living together in this cute, little house.

Let me say that again. MY BEST FRIEND FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL MOVED TO NASHVILLE AND WE STARTED LIVING TOGETHER. Life is so weird and so wonderful sometimes.

And at some other point, I bought a new ukulele.

Sadly, Pono had to be put down. He was damaged beyond repair. But this little guy will do the job.

And at some other point, the "royal baby" was born in England. And my Google Alert emails (which inform me every time my name, "Natalie Royal", shows up in an online article), started to drive me insane.

And finally, after working almost 60 hours a week between both of my part time jobs, I had a break. And I went home to Charlotte for the first time since Christmas.

And I was reunited with the love of my life.

(He was still in a state of shock when I snapped this photo. I don't think Yogi ever thought he'd see me again).

And after a couple of days in the Queen City, my mom and I hopped in our separate cars and drove to the annual Swannanoa Gathering for another week of music and friends and late nights and music and very little sleep and food and drinks and music.

I think I slept a combined total of 25 hours for the entire week. That may seem like a lot, but it's not.

Check out this awesome photo of mom and me. We're awake. I think.

(Mike was there, too).

There aren't enough words to describe how I feel about The Swannanoa Gathering. It is just the most magically musical place on this planet, I'm pretty sure. Every year, I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to return. For seven whole days, my head is cleared, my heart is opened, and I'm surrounded by some of the most lovely and inspirational people. Music is at the root of every Gathering, and everyone that attends is there for the same reason: For the love of music.

I love Nashville, but there's something so pure and so raw about a place like The Swannanoa Gathering. There's nothing commercial about it. No one is trying to "become famous" or "get a record deal" or "get a song cut". Everyone is just there to play music and to listen to music. Ah. No greater place on this planet.

And if you'd like to take a little listen, this is the song I did for the open mic night. It's a new one-- "Little Red Bird". Some of you may already know this... but shortly after my father passed, I started noticing cardinals everywhere. They would show up just when I needed them to, and it seemed as if it was, in some way, my dad just letting me know that he is "still here". He's still looking out for me. All the time.

I don't know where we go when we leave these bodies, but it is so comforting to feel surrounded by his presence all the time.

(For some reason, it won't let me embed the video into this post... so just click on the link: http://youtu.be/n63sijr54IE)

Ah. I'm still having Swannanoa withdrawals. Once again, I can't wait for next year to roll right back around. Not trying to speed up time or anything... just miss my Swanna-friends.

Well. That's all folks. I could have probably written an entire novel about the last couple of months, but I don't know how interesting that would have been for you. This is about all I could muster after just one cup of coffee.

Bottom line: life is still wonderful.

I'll try to write here more often. Once I get started, filling up a blank blog page is not as daunting a task as it seems. It's actually quite fun.

Love to each and every one of you on this fabulous, Tuesday morning.

<3
Nat