Last weekend was fall break! It was so wonderful to be able to go back to Franklin and spend time with my family and friends from home. I have to say that fall break did not last nearly long as I would have hoped, but I really enjoyed the memories that were made. The first night back in Franklin, I went to Ellen’s house to watch Pageant Place on MTV. Belmont Alum and Miss USA 2007, Rachel Smith, is one of the main characters. It was a pretty good show. It’s just another reality TV show, but I enjoyed it! The rest of the weekend involved going to events for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a mentorship program that I hold dear to my heart. To risk sounding cliché, children really are the future and it’s so crucial that we invest our time and talents into building strong characters within our youth. Youth mentored through BBBS are 52% less likely to skip school, 46% less likely to begin using drugs, 27% less likely to begin using alcohol, and 33% less likely to engage in violent behavior when compared to similar at-risk youth. Click here to read more about what Big Brothers Big Sisters is all about.
My dad is the CEO of BBBSMT, so I’ve been around the organization for a few years now and I’ve become acclimated to how it works and the positive effect it has on everyone involved. Over fall break, I attended the annual Big-Little Picnic. This picnic provides a fun atmosphere for those involved with BBBS as well as all the Big Brothers and Sisters and their Littles. There was football, volleyball, and even a dance contest. My little brother (my actual little brother), Trenton, won the dance contest…he learned all his skills from me. I have to take credit for his skills! If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t even know the Soulja Boy song or dance! He also wouldn’t know how to Walk It Out without my expert advice. Ha ha.
The next night, I attended Diamond Rio’s Charity Auction at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville. Diamond Rio is not only an incredible country band with many hits to their name, but they are avid philanthropists and believe deeply in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. They’ve raised a very large amount of money for the program. I admire them so much as musicians and even more as people in general. I really enjoyed watching them perform that night! They played a lot of their old songs like “One More Day,” “Beautiful Mess,” and “Meet in the Middle.” They also played a few new songs! My favorite was a song called “Redneck Love Gone Bad.” It is HILARIOUS!!! I love it!
I can’t decide whether or not I’m glad to be back in the school action. I’m already counting the days until Thanksgiving Break!! I have a lot going on mostly because I have two shows coming up! I have my own little showcase this coming weekend and then I’m singing at a Big Brothers Big Sisters event next weekend! I’m so excited! There’s nothing I love more than performing!