O-Town: Meet Jon Acuff Tomorrow

Jon Acuff (@jonacuff), the guy behind Stuff Christians Like, and a new marketing golden boy at Dave Ramey’s Lampo Group, will be signing copies of his new book, Quitter, tomorrow at Books-A-Million in Sanford.

I first started following Jon on his hilarious blog, Stuff Christians Like, and bought copies of the book that came out of that for many of my friends. When I reached out to introduce myself to Jon (I work with his equally hilarious and talented cousin Josh Acuff), he reminded me that we spoke when he proposed a book to Relevant when I was the acquisitions editor there. We passed on the book. Ouch.

But Jon’s not the kind of guy to let that get him down. He’s obviously gone on to much bigger & better things, including fundraising to build two orphanages in Vietnam. His new book, Quitter, is about bridging the gap between your day job and your dream job. I’ve only read the first chapter (available as a free download here) and I can’t wait to read the rest.

So join me tomorrow in saying hello to Jon and picking up a copy of his new book. Let me know if you’re coming out! (Did I mention he’s giving away $500 at the signing? Booyah!) Reply or DM me at @caranicoledavis

Here’s the trailer for his book:

 

Workout Playlist: 10 Current Favorites

Here are few tunes that currently get my feet moving. What are some of your favorite songs to workout to?

“What Do You Know”
Two Door Cinema Club

“Sea Lion Woman”
Feist

“Good Girl”
Chrisette Michele

“Alright”
John Legend

“Armistice”
Mute Math

“Rock That Body”
Black Eyed Peas

“This Corrosion”
Diane Birch

“Everything Will Be Alright”
Matt Wertz

“Melody”
Kate Earl

“Little Lion Man”
Mumford & Sons

 

Meet Brady. We Used to Climb Trees Together.

This is Brady.

Brady was my best friend and neighbor when I was a kid. We used to climb trees together.

I once got a tick from one of those adventures. It burrowed itself into the back of my head and was there for weeks before I told my mom about it. After an ER trip & surgery to remove said tick, I was on my way with a congratulatory Barbie doll. It was the makeup kind and totally awesome.

One of my most vivid memories of Brady was the morning he offered to carry a Lego pyramid I made for a school project onto the bus for me. The paper grocery bag that it was in slipped from his hand and the pyramid did not fare so well. Still, he was a gentlemen for offering to carry it. (My mom remembers him a little differently … she says he pushed me off the porch one time.)

Brady’s older brother Brandon was my first piano teacher. I took lessons from him in their home across the street, then came home to practice on my Casio keyboard. A couple of years later Mom bought me an upright and I began lessons in earnest from the Joanie Clark Music Studio. Joanie had a studio adjacent to her home and I grew up alongside one of her daughters, Kristin. I took piano there and performed songs like “Wind Beneath My Wings” at piano recitals until I went to college.

Brady and I didn’t keep in touch after his family moved away, and it’s only been a few months ago that I learned he was active in Nashville’s local government. I’m not surprised. He’s always been a personable, smart guy who puts others before himself (or as mom would say, “pushes others before himself”).

In all seriousness, I am proud to have known him.

What surprised me most about when we re-connected was who his wife is – Kristin! I learned that they didn’t meet each other until they were each at college (him at Mercer, then Harvard, her at Duke). Both are from amazing Nashville families and they seem perfect for each other. She is now a minister at a United Methodist church. I think it’s so weird that two people I knew growing up (who didn’t know each other at the time) found each other and are now working to make Nashville a better place together.

Since I no longer live in Nashville I can’t help Brady and his team knock on doors, but I can support them in other ways. If you’re in Nashville, get this guy on your radar. He’s running for Metro Council – District 4 in August. Check out his site and if you like what you see, lend your support.

*Cue patriotic music*

 

8 Live Shows I’d Like to See this Year (But Probably Won’t)

Life as a mom in a city that’s out-of-the-way does not afford many opportunities to stay on top of the live music scene. Nevertheless, after attending an amazing live show by Brooke Fraser recently (see above photo), I’ve got the live music bug.

Here are 8 artists I’d love to see live. This year if possible. Some are hot new trendy artists, others are ones I’ve loved for a while and listen to everyday.

Sadly, only one of them is coming to Orlando (John Legend) but he’s opening for Sade and tickets are $63. It’s also in an arena. Pretty sure I’ll pass since he’s just the opener.

John Legend

(photo credit)

Chrisette Michele

(photo credit)

Brandi Carlile

(photo credit)

The Civil Wars

(photo credit)

Trent Dabbs

(photo credit)

Thad Cockrell

(photo credit)

Mumford and Sons

(photo credit)

Adele

(photo credit)

Adele is sold out at every show. I got excited when I didn’t see a “sold out” on her Asheville show the week I’m going to be near there, but when I went to get tickets they were in fact sold out. That would be one amazing show. (Congratulations to all those who have acquired tickets.)

What tours do you want to see this year?

 

15 Ways I’m Just Like Tina Fey

I just finished Tina Fey’s Bossypants at the recommendation of a friend, who said I remind him of her in some ways. Flattered, I knew I had to read it immediately and find every possible correlation in our lives. Henceforth, here are 15 ways I am just like Tina Fey.

• We are women.

• We are writers.

• We are married to a man named Jeff from Pennsylvania. (I do not believe it is the same one.)

• Both of our first names have four letters. (Our husband, Jeff, pointed this out.)

• We are producers. (Except in my field it’s called an editor.)

• We have each published a book.

• We both gave birth to female babies during the years 2005-2007.

• We are between 9-11 years younger than our husband. (I’m just assuming at this point it’s the same guy.)

• We share similar philosophies and experiences when it comes to cruising. (Except mine didn’t involve a fire and evacuation.)

• We share similar philosophies and experiences when it comes to breastfeeding.

• We both have facial scars. (Everyone asks about hers. No one asks about mine. No, it’s okay, really. You don’t have to ask next time you see me. I’ll just write a blog post about it. It’ll be fine.)

• We have experienced gender prejudice in the workplace.

• We have both agonized and tortured ourselves over whether or not to have a second child.

• We like to tell jokes. (She gets paid to do it. I get advised in private to think twice before I tweet.)

• We wear glasses and sometimes contacts.

Okay, so some of this is a stretch, and we really don’t have that much in common.

But the appeal of women like Tina Fey, Ree Drummond and other strong women in the media that I look up to is that they’re transparent with their life experiences, and their struggles are universal. Women like me can relate with them — even if our lives are drastically different. (i.e. If I could ever produce a body of work for public consumption, and consequently a girl writes a blog post on the 10 ways she’s just like me, I’ll know I’ve succeeded.)

The point of all this is that Tina Fey has a great book (as long as you don’t mind some of the most creative forms of cursing I’ve seen this side of “The Sopranos”) and that you should go buy it or borrow it immediately — right after you buy my book, of course, which has significantly fewer cuss words (and is $3 cheaper).

***

At the release of her book last month it was announced that Tina is pregnant with their second child. This is clearly the work of genius of two levels:

• First it’s marketing gold. You simply cannot buy publicity like that. Ask Lindsay Lohan.

• Secondly, on a personal level, the news and birth of your second child will never match the level of excitement that comes with your first. It’s like a second marriage – “Oh, they’re trying this kid thing again. Let’s see if they can get this one right.” So she’s a genius for being able to muster interest on a national scale for the biological function of her uterus.

And since I’m clearly trying to pattern my life after hers, I will now immediately run out and get pregnant as well and try to time the news to coincide with the release of my upcoming e-book. The news is sure to make The Drudge Report, don’t you think?

 

@Invisible Children + Oprah + Halogen = Roadworthy

Tom Shadyac will appear on Oprah today, telling his “riches to rags” story (except his is an intentional lifestyle change). It’s a great story and you don’t want to miss it. You can read more in Halogen’s interview with Shadyac from last fall.

But not only that, Shadyac is bringing along his friends – the founders of Invisible Children, Jason and Laren. In the last 10 minutes of the show they’ll talk about their new campaign to bring awareness to the longest running war in Africa.

We’re so excited because we’re currently working with Invisible Children to create an original reality show called “Roadworthy: The Invisible Children Tour.” It premieres on Halogen TV Sept. 20, 2011, and it’s not a stretch to say it’s our best work to date. You will love this show. We’ll be airing the premiere online and onair, so those of you (like me) who don’t get Halogen will be able to watch (and probably the rest of the season as well). To check if your cable provider carries Halogen, enter your zip code here.

So check out Oprah today, then jump over to our site to sign up for updates about “Roadworthy.” Thanks!

 

What I Learned on the 2011 #RecreateCruise

L-R: Michael Hyatt, Pete Wilson, Randy Elrod, Ken Davis

While I’m certain I’ll be processing what I learned on my re:create conference Caribbean cruise for quite some time to come, here is a brief overview.

The sessions were packed with encouragement and ideas. I hope my notes are sufficient to unpack them.

My four takeaways from 2011 re:create cruise with Randy Elrod, Michael Hyatt, Pete Wilson and Ken Davis (and their fantastic wives) are:

1. Discipline is the key to creativity.

Michael Hyatt and Ken Davis’s talks centered heavily on the role discipline plays in creating art and living fully. Creating is work. Living intentionally is work. And to accomplish anything takes consistent effort.

2. Obedience is the key to faith.

Pete Wilson talked about how pain in life is inevitable; how we respond makes all the difference. We’re to live like someone who is confident God is with them (even when it feels like He’s not). Obedience and principled living carry you through the hard times.

3. Knowing who you are is the key to becoming who you were created to be.

Randy Elrod’s talk was deep – intellectually and emotionally. It centered on the roles that empathy, intuition and charisma play in your art. He encouraged us to find the place where our passion intersects a need. There we will find our creative sweet spot.

4. Cruises are not for me.

The conference was the reason I went on the cruise, and thankfully I was not disappointed. But I found that cruising in general does not suit me well. Between feeling woozy 80% of the time and feeling trapped on the boat, I’m confident my future vacations will be on dry land.

Other than that, I’m grateful to have heard the powerful life messages from these accomplished artists and for the whispers of grace for my own life throughout the week. My heart is full and stirred.

What speaker or author has inspired you lately and why?

 

March Inspirations

Ice cream sandwiches, Oh Joy!

Spring 2011 dress line, Red Velvet

Clothes brand, Ohdeeoh

Kids loft, Ohdeeoh

Mardi Gras cupcake, Baking Bites blog

Photo banner, Style Me Pretty blog

Wedding bouquet, Style Me Pretty blog

Paper Cranes, Style Me Pretty blog

Rainbow Keyboard Stickers, SwissMiss

 

Announcing a New Blog!

Friday, March 4, is National Pound Cake Day – it’s centered on the tradition that for every pound cake you bake, you give one away.

I love that.

I also love pound cake. So much that I’m starting a blog dedicated to the subject (http://www.princesspoundcake.com).

I’m launching it on National Pound Cake Day, because what better day to do it?

I’m also centering the blog on the same premise – for every pound cake I make, I’ll give one away.

Join me on this journey by subscribing to the RSS feed (you can enter your email address on the right-hand sidebar on the site and subscribe through FeedBurner).

Let’s bake something good together!

Coming up in just the first couple of weeks: Paula Deen’s Pound Cake, Nutella Pound Cake, Mini Lemon Pound Cakes, Blueberry Sour Cream Pound Cake and Chocolate Pound Cake!

Twitter: @poundcakequeen
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/gf6ugI

 

Let’s Make Out – February Inspirations

1. Let’s Make Out pillow – $89-$119, Alexandra Ferguson
2. TOMS Wedge – $69, Nordstrom.com
3. Olive and Sinclair chocolate – Nashville, TN

4. Rifle Paper Co. valentine’s cards – use code VDAY15 for 15% off
5. Silhouette Art Kit – $18.95, spoonsisters.com
6. Strawberry Forks – $162