To say it’s been a while since I’ve blogged is an understatement! The last year or so has been crazy, and I haven’t figured out how to work, be a mom, a wife, and write. One of the reasons that I chose the name, “The Culver Project” was because I knew that name could grow with me as life took me down new paths. I’ll never lose my passion for music, but there will be times where family becomes my new “project.” And hopefully there will be plenty of days where the two can intersect and work hand in hand!

Becoming a mom has given me inspiring words and emotions for future songs… once I have a moment to myself so that I can work out the rest! I have made notes either in my memo app or simply jotting them down on any piece of paper that I can find (I don’t ever think that I’ll stop writing down random ideas or lyric lines). In case I haven’t mentioned… here is what the last year of my life has been:

In late March (after 3 days of laboring), we were blessed with a sweet (9 pound) baby boy! He spent 5 days in NICU, and then we were finally able to bring him home! He’s already traveled to South Carolina… twice! Once to Hilton Head for vacation and once to Augusta. He also went on his fist family business trip to Tennessee! my husband had to travel for work, so we tagged along and I brought him to my office in Brentwood.

Toward the end of August, we added a puppy to the mix! I missed having a big dog around, and we knew some people close to us that had some puppies (Baxter is a yellow lab)! Did I mention that my husband had left for 10 days on a mission trip the day I brought the puppy home? No? Well… you’ll find out what you’re made of if you make a similar decision.. but in the end, Baxter is a great addition to our family! Our son thinks he’s hilarious, and he’s learning so much from his puppy training!

I’m always up for a challenge when it comes to writing! I really want to get back in the groove and write songs. Music is my therapy and I hope that you’ve enjoyed the ones that I’ve shared! Here’s to an ongoing project; whether music, parenting, working… no matter where life takes me, there will always be a project!

Mother’s Day is upon us, and for once, I’m excited. Not that I don’t enjoy celebrating the mothers in my life (I love them dearly), but the last 7 years have made it hard to get into the spirit of the weekend.

If I can be honest, there were years that I wished I could sleep through the entire weekend and just wake up on Monday. Yes, that’s the only time I ever wished for a Sunday to go by quickly!

Last year was probably the worst of them all. The year began with excitement that we would finally be parents. 2017 was going to be the year that we would welcome little ones into the family. But with February barely under way, we found out that our little embryos were not going to grace us with their earthly presence.

Yes. Embryos. As in two. At 5 weeks, we saw two sacs, but it was too early to see a baby or hear the heartbeat. At 6 weeks, there were still two sacs, one baby and one heartbeat. The same for week 8. By week 10, there was just one sac, one baby, but no heartbeat. The worst silence you will ever experience in your life.

Mother’s Day last year was the hardest. Was I considered a mom? I didn’t have a child on earth, or a growing belly anymore. Would I ever get the exciting news that we were expecting again? Should I let myself indulge in the emotions if we did?

At long last, we did in fact receive the wonderful news that we were expecting again. We did remain a little cautious at the beginning, not even letting our parents know until we were 12 weeks along! I second guessed every feeling, or day without a “symptom” along the way.

After 3 LONG days of labor and an emergency c-section later, Mason came into the world!

This Mother’s Day is one for the books for sure. I’m filled with joy, but I also remember those that are still longing, still hoping to finally hold a child in their arms.

For all of the mother’s in waiting, I’m praying for you and thinking about you this weekend!

It’s one of those days that is fused into your mind. I was walking into Ms. Schintzius math class for 3rd period (just coming from Ms. Hugh’s chemistry lab). I heard a student mention that a plane flew into the World Trade enter. My first (naive) thought was, “how do you not see a big building like that?!” It didn’t cross my mind that this is clearly one reason why planes don’t fly so close to the ground.

Class resumed as normal, with the exception of the tv on in the background. Then the other plane hit. Everyone stopped and our eyes were glued to the television. We watched in complete shock as the towers fell. Live. On camera. This wasn’t some movie special effects. Not even a bad dream.

In a school of over 2000 students, teachers, and other faculty, I have never heard the hallways so quiet. For days, you could hear a pin drop as we walked like zombies from class to class; even the lunch room was quiet. We didn’t discuss literature, the Pythagorean Theorum; instead, we focused on the current events and what this all might mean about the future.

Much like the recent disaster of Hurricane Harvey, and now Irma, all of the small petty things paled in comparison to our desire to care for the common good of our country, and especially lending a helping hand to those most effected by tragedy.

May we always remember that we are one nation… United.

If you follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or my personal Facebook page, you have hopefully seen that I entered my first original song, “Come to Me.” You can rate the song on the Kicks 101.5 website > Nash Next contest or follow this Link.

This song is also available on iTunes, Amazon Music, and Google Play. I also have two other songs released that were written by other songwriters (much better than myself)!

I haven’t been able to fund any additional recordings yet, but would love to get back in the studio. I’ll be saving up any and all spare change so I can get some new (professionally cut) songs out to you. In the mean time, I’ll keep plugging away in my notebook, and posting more YouTube videos.

I’m the kind of person that likes to make lists. I LOVE lists! If I had a penny for each one, I’d be a bajillionaire! I’m not sure how much money that is, but basically, I’d have a lot of money.

I also tend be the person that leaves my grocery list at home when I’m headed to the store. It’s a fun game I like to call “can you remember everything We needed.” Even if I walk EVERY aisle of Publix (or Target), I’m liable to forget something.

I’ve had this refrigerator pad for a little while, and thought it was a perfect place to write down new song ideas. Sometimes, I’ll use the notepad app on my phone, but I tend to forget about them, just like my grocery list. This is why I prefer pen and paper.

Not only am I starting a list of ideas, but I’m starting to become a more avid reader, at least that’s the goal. Books open the imagination chamber in your mind to endless possibilities! I just finished The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, started In the Garden of Beasts,  and recently ordered Unbroken so that I can jump right into the story when I’m done!

My song idea list started only a few days ago and I’ve already found myself getting up in the middle of the night to jot something down just so I won’t forget! As I set the paper up to take a picture, I realized that most of the notes sound a little pessimistic. I’ll try to work on some happier tunes!

In a week or two, I’ll have a new video completed (I Hope It’s Not a Train), which has a great back story . Be on the lookout for some new material this summer! I’ll be traveling to Portland, Oregon in July on a mission trip. Visiting new places is grounds for new writing material too!

I know, Mother’s Day was a few days ago. Just because the day has come and gone, doesn’t mean that a mom can’t get some encouragement. Sure, on Sunday, moms around the country were treated to meals, gifts, maybe even a day to NOT clean the house! But Monday, it’s back to the grind.

The school year is coming to a close. For moms, that means the last few days/weeks of lunch preparations, teacher gifts, field day extravaganza, and maybe class parties. There is a lot that goes on in the day of a mom. It’s hard. I’m voting there are moms that wish they had more hours in the day to getthings done.

I feel a little unqualified to make these statements, since I’m not a mom. At least not the kind of mom that has a baby or child here on Earth. Most of my friends and family are parents to some pretty awesome kids though! I’ve watched and heard them talk about their day in and day out experiences. Also, as a “writer” you tend to observe people and situations everywhere you go. when I wrote this song, I did also consult a few people to get their opinions, and to make sure that I was on the right track.

I hope this encourages someone out there to know that they are the best mom! I wish our society would stop judging what one mom does verses another. I also wish we would be more open about our trials so that someone else might not feel alone in their pain or anxiety. If you are a mom that is struggling to see the good you are doing, I hope this encourages you today!

Is it just me, or is time flying?! It’s hard to believe we’ve been in our house for a like over a month! Things are starting to get back to normal… fewer things we have to step over (really,  we only have some pictures and curtains left to hang), and I’m starting to get in a regular routine (take animals out and feed them, make breakfast/lunch, quiet time, go back to bed, wake up, go upstairs to work, walk break, lunch, walk break, take care of animals again, dinner, dishes, music, watch tv with my husband, gym (one of these days), go to bed)!

I have been slowly tidying up my music room. Hopefully this week I’ll put up some pictures and it will be done! Hopefully. Tonight I put my music stand up (Christmas gift from my parents,  or maybe it was for my birthday…), and set up a little area to practice! I can’t wait to dive into my notes for new songs and see what I can create! As always,  stay tuned!

Yes, I realize I need a new stand for the keyboard! 😄