There are many very talented artists in Nashville who you will never hear from. They move to music city in hopes of chasing their dreams and only a very few lucky people will ever get their music on the radio, let alone become a star. So when an artist has been to the mountain top and come tumbling down like Mindy McCready did, should they be given a second chance? After all, there are lots of people lined up and ready to do the hard word required to make it big without all the baggage that Mindy carries. Drugs have played a part in her spiral down. So have many bad decisions like talking crap about the president of her record label when her sophmore release didn’t do as well as her first album.

     If I, as a radio station program director, threw out music from people messed up with drugs or alcohol at some point in their life, there would be very little music left to play. Does that make their actions right? No. But if you trust in me to bring you the best music I can get my hands on then I tell you here and now that Mindy could have another hit. If it’s all about the music then give her a second chance, and listen to her latest single. She wrote “I’m still here” while in jail on a probation violation. I really wasn’t expecting much when I downloaded the song. She’d been gone from the music scene for so long, and been thru so much that I wasn’t sure she could even sing anymore. I was pleasantly surprised. Mindy still has an amazing voice, and has penned an equally amazing song. I hope it sees the light of day on country radio. You can download the song for free after you register at her website here. Mindy, if you’re reading this, I wish you well and hope your life changes for the better even if your second chance doesn’t pan out. Being a star is nice, but living a decent, productive life is more important. You’ve already had a bunch of hits, and nobody can ever take that away from you.    

I spent my first weekend in my “new to me” RV this weekend. I have it set up on a permanent campsite right across the street from my parents RV. I grew up camping with my family. I can’t even begin to count the great memories I have from those days. I’ve always thought about giving my son the chance to have those same memories, so when my parents offered to sell me their old RV for a great price, I took them up on it!

     It rained all weekend. But that didn’t matter to my little guy, Aidan. He got to spend the entire weekend with daddy. No disruptions. No projects around the house to keep me busy. Just time to hang together. That’s what camping is all about to me. Time together. Could we have some quality time at home? Sure. But there just seems to be a real escape when you spend time camping. The clock seems to slow down a bit. The world doesn’t seem as busy when all you have to worry about at the moment is “what’s for supper” or “should we take a walk, or take a nap?” If you’ve ever camped, I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about : )  

My kid is CRAZY for Thomas. The past two years, we’ve headed to Medina to take a ride on Thomas (and drop some cash on toys) and this year will be no different. Last year was the first time he sort of understood what was awaiting him. This year, he TOTALLY understands that his blue bud will be waiting for him. I absolutely love the way he lights up when I mention visiting with Thomas. He just smiles from ear to ear. Money, cars, a great job, nothing, NOTHING compares to the joy I get from seeing my kid happy. Can’t wait to see you Thomas. I’ll thank you in advance for the memories.