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I am from a middle of the road, middle-class family. I went to public school, earned just-above average grades, and then went to a state university where I graduated with a B.A. degree. Nothing fancy, nothing to complain about.

I haven’t been singing since I could talk (not that I’m aware of), I’ve only been playing guitar for five years, piano for less than one year, and I still work several jobs in order to pay my rent each month.

I am not that which dreams are made of; I am not the picture of success. I have had several opportunities to make something happen and, so far, all of these have fallen through. In some cases, the failure was my own… probably a lack of true preparation on my part. In other instances, it just wasn’t my day; no luck, I suppose.

Want the gory details? OK. Here's my list of "coulda beens," "close calls," and other yada, yada, yadas:

- About a year after moving to Los Angeles from my home in Maryland, I auditioned for an all-girl pop group and actually got selected. I was the first one chosen (the group didn’t even have a name yet) and I got to check out the other contenders and voice my opinion about them, too. I also met “Babyface” and his wife, who supposedly had dibs on the group and wanted sign us to his label, but as you can see, I am no Nicole Scherzinger and I have no Pussycat Dolls.

- A few years ago, I got close to landing a manager that represented Jason Mraz, but… he left the music biz altogether. Dagnabbit!

- Not more than a year ago, I met Gavin DeGraw after a concert at The House of Blues; I told him I was going to be the female version of him. "Girly Gavin?" he asked. Yep. Guess we'll see about that, huh?

- Right before I quit waiting tables, I slipped my demo into Justin Timberlake’s take-out bag at Outback Steakhouse. I'm guessing that my CD got tossed into the same circular file as his leftovers, cuz I never heard anything from him.

- Last year, I randomly met Josh Kelley at an open mic in L.A. (yes, he was at an open mic). All the other crooners at the joint had no idea who he was, so I asked him to play my favorite song of his, but he could only play it if someone loaned him a guitar (he had just planned on playing songs on the in-house piano), so I told him he could play my guitar. It was my brand-new, like days old, Martin guitar... he played the song, "Amazing," and it couldn't have been a more perfect experience. Oh yeah, and his lady Katherine Heigl was standing next to me the whole time and thanked me for loaning him my guitar. Afterward, I chatted it up with him and his peeps, and I told him about my next show. I gave him a flyer to my show; he said he'd come to my show if I came to his... which I did (it was at Hotel Cafe and I made sure to say "Hi" to him and remind him of who I was, the "amazing" girl who loaned him a guitar at an open mic)... but he, however, did not come to mine. I should wear a tee shirt that says: Josh Kelley played my guitar and all I got was this lousy anecdote. Ha!

- A lot of people ask if I've ever auditioned for "American Idol." I actually did go, once (which I had sworn I would never do), and just as I was getting in line I got word that I’d scored an audition for a spot on “Entourage.” I went to that audition instead, didn’t get the part, and wasn’t allowed to get back in line at “American Idol.” Doh!

- And no, my music hasn’t been played on “The Hills” (yet), you can’t find me on iTunes (yet), I’ve never sold-out a show (yet), I have yet to book a gig at the infamous Hotel Café here in Hollywood, and as you can see from that little section over to the left of this page titled “Record Label,” I don’t have one of those either.

So what... every artist has stories like these... I mean, woe-is-me, right?! What's the point?

Good question.

After years of feeling defeated, inadequate, and wishing that something serendipitous would happen and magically make all my wildest dreams come true, I’ve realized that (pay attention, now) some walls are placed in front of us not to keep us from getting what we want, but to help us figure out how much we really want it.

And if you want it enough, if you care enough about creating the life you dream about... and you can’t climb over that wall? well, you effing break it down! You decide to make your own opportunities and quit relying on fate or luck or other people to give those chances to you.

So, that said, on to happier days! I’m recording my first mini-album of seven songs with this fantastic producer (Gary Tharp, whom I hunted-down here on MySpace and begged to work with), and some amazing musicians (who’ve played on recordings for Sara Bareilles, Anna Nalick, Alanis Morissette, Michelle Branch, etc). And the coolest part about it, is that I’m paying for this all on my own... with a little bit of help from do-gooder fans and friends like you (if YOU would like to donate to help me finish the record sooner, message me and I'll send you the link).

Finishing this record will be the biggest, real goal I’ve set so far in my life. Ultimately, I hope it might inspire others to make their dreams happen, too.

That’s it. That’s my story. For now. I’m sure there will be other missed boats, dropped balls and delicious carrots hung just out of reach, but so what? These things don’t define me and they don’t decide if I am a success or not. I’d rather leave that up to you.

You’re here, you’re listening, and that’s all that matters. Thank you.

Enjoy the music!

xox,

P.S. I'm a big believer in empowering people. For example, instead of just giving someone a fish, teach them HOW to fish... and loan them the money for the fishing pole while you're at it (cuz it's really hard to fish with your hands and fishing poles are expensive). Don't get my analogy? No worries! Let me simplify: help some hard working folks around the world make a better life for themselves with a loan through http://www.kiva.org -- check it out!