First Notes from In-Between (My Introduction)

 Mic check, 1, 2 ... cue the intro.

Welcome everyone,

    I'm Melody, and I am coming to you from the beautiful Smoky Mountains. I love to be outside, and, with such a spectacular view, how could anyone stay in? I have hosted and participated in several community clean-ups to try to preserve our exquisite mountains because I am an avid environmentalist. When I am not busy picking up litter, I enjoy reading (especially outside) and spending time with my friends (also generally outside). If I have to go inside, it's generally to go to the movies or my job at 911 Dispatch. Despite my efforts to stay out in the fresh air, I am also drawn inside to spend time with my two yorkies, Rosie, 14, and Mojo, 9. who  prefer sitting on the couch in the air conditioning, listening to instrumental music, and snuggling (No, I am not kidding. Yes, they are very spoiled.) to being out with the bugs and humidity. Occasionally, on a nice day, that's not too hot or too cold or too wet, they will sit out side with me on the back patio and doze for hours. Rosie always pretends to be grumpy about it (she loves it, I promise), but Mojo tends to be a bit more optimistic. Here's a picture or a rare day where they were enjoying the sunshine, Mojo is on the left and Rosie is on the right.

    In addition to my love for our environment, I also love music. I grew up in a very musical family, my dad travelled and sang gospel music for most of my childhood, before we moved from Michigan to Tennessee. My Papaw could play the banjo, fiddle, violin, harmonica, and, my personal favorite, the guitar. He taught me a little bit on the guitar, and, now I love to pick up a guitar when I am starting to miss him. However, my passion has always been singing. I have sang in a couple of local competitions and one national one (I placed in the top 10 and got to perform live at a festival in Sevierville, TN near Pigeon Forge/DollyWood), and I traveled and sang at many different churches with my dad. It has been a while since I really had time to focus on performance, but I still sing all the time, in the car, the shower, the kitchen, in my little sisters room while she's doing homework and telling me to get out... Singing was a massive part of my childhood, and I was always obsessed with artist or another. That much has carried into my adult life and now I love attending concerts. The last one I went to see was Benson Boone: The American Heart Tour about a week ago. I have only been to about 5 concerts in total, but my cousins and aunt on my mom's side of the family has been to dozens of concerts and met countless artists so I have some excellent mentors. I look forward to attending more concerts as the opportunities present themselves, but, for now, here's a clip of Benson Boones cover of "Cover Me Up" by Jason Isbell, from the concert last week (not my video).