9. A lot has happened since then.

Sooo... it's been a while. A lot has happened. So here goes!

I met Helen Darling at a Christmas Party. She is a singer-songwriter who actually sold a song and it paid for her family's huge house! Had to have been a great song, right? It was!! It was "Bring On The Rain" sung by Jo Dee Messina! It was such an honor to meet her.

I have been back to Cheatham Street Warehouse twice now for the Songwriters Circle. It is so inspiring to sit and listen to all the songwriters who are so passionate about what they do. It has been an incredible experience to get to sit among them and share my songs. I wish I could be there every week, but work keeps me away.

Speaking of work, it is going so great! I am absolutely in love with my job. I am now a deck manager and movin on up! I love the kids. It's so fun playing with them and teaching them how to swim. As much as I would like to have kids one day, getting to hold tiny babies and play with toddlers every day scratches that itch just fine.

Speaking of scratching itches... Go to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and buy a $4 scalp massager. It will be the best thing that ever happened to you. Seriously.

I am playing a show tonight in downtown Austin at Carousel Lounge at 7pm. This is my first time playing there, and I'm opening for the band Chinaski! If you are close by, you should come! The full lineup is Hanna Jo, Chinaski, A Likely Few, Decker, and Casey Hubble. 


I am gonna need some people to come visit me verrry soon, so please get on that!

8. Cheatham Street Warehouse

THIS WEEK HAS BEEN CRAZY! And huge for me. It started Monday on my way to work. I got a call from my soul sister Van Darien. She is a singer songwriter that I played with a lot in DFW. She's been on tour with Charla Corn and Kylie Rae Harris the past month or so, so I was super excited to see her name pop up on my iPhone. She was in Austin for the day, and she wanted to jam! I told her I would ask around for an open mic or something and when I got off work we would definitely meet up. So I sent a few texts, and one struck gold. Jeremy Steding is an Austin based musician who was playing that night and Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, and he invited us to open for him!

Now for those of you who don't obsessively follow this Red Dirt Music Scene, Cheatham Street Warehouse is a legendary bar where the biggest acts in Texas Country play. It is a dream to play there. And we had an invitation.

So Vanessa and I hit the road to San Marcos (almost an hour from my house in Cedar Park) giggling with excitement the whole way. We played for about an hour, and the modest crowd enthusiastically cheered us on. It was such a blast! And when we walked off stage Jeremy met us and thanked us for playing. Whatever dude, thank YOU for inviting us!!! He also mentioned that Kent Finlay, the owner, was in the crowd and really enjoyed our set. Sweeeet!!! So obviously I went straight to Kent and introduced myself. He is a white haired rugged looking man that would play the Sherriff in an old western movie. Most of what we talked about is a blur, except for when he personally invited me to his songwriters circle on Wednesday...

7. Code Rainbow

In my third day of work, a child puked on me. Not in the pool. And not near me. But directly on my leg. Chocolate milk and carrots. At work, we call that a Code Rainbow. It was an adventurous day. I'm just glad it wasn't a Code Brown.

A few days later, a child bit me on my shoulder. It wasn't an angry bite, or even a sad or frustrated bite, but rather an overexcited bite. I tried to play like it didn't hurt, and ignore the pain shooting down my arm and the stings from the water. But when the class was over, I looked at the bite-mark, and there was a perfect circular bruise with a red center where it broke the skin. If I hadn't spent so much time in the chlorinated water after that, I would have been a little more worried about infection. Now it just looks like a nasty bruise on my shoulder.

All of this, and I still LOVE my job! It's so fun and rewarding. And the people I work with are incredible. Most people have been working there for several years, and have no intention of leaving. Everyone that works there loves their job. That is no generalization. The kids are so fun and adorable, and even if they are misbehaving or crying for Mom, you only have then for thirty minutes at a time so it's more than tolerable. We just get to act goofy and excited and teach kids survival skills.

-->sidenote: Did you know that the number one cause of accidental death of children under the age of five in the state of Texas is drowning?

So things are going well here in ATX. I played my first show out at Lake Travis opening for the Matt Stapp Band last weekend at a place called Poodies. The owner died a year ago, but he was Willie Nelson's road manager for something like 35 years. I'm playing tonight in College Station at a bar on Northgate called Fitzwilly's and it's gonna be a blasty! It's a game weekend, so I'm hoping for a fun crowd! Btho Nebraska!

5. I live here!

"Peace up! A-town down!... oh wait, is that Atlanta?"

Tuesday I loaded up my car and hit the road to Austin! That night I moved into my room in the upstairs of the beautiful Wooderson household. The next morning, I went to my first day of work! I'm working at a swim school teaching kids to swim! I think the the best gage of a good job is how fast the time goes by, and at this job, the time flies!

So I moved in, slept, went to work, and the only thing I've really seen is the closest HEB (btw, I LOVE being in HEB country again!). But still, I drive down Mopac passing downtown like, "I freaking LIVE here!" I can't wait to see everything! And I wanna see it all. So tonight, some very special people are taking me out on the town! I have Fridays off, I can soak in tonight and sleep in tomorrow! :)

4. Moving Day!

It's Moving Day!!!!

I'm all packed. My clothes are stuffed in suitcases, and my guitar is in the trunk. I've said goodbye see you later to all my DFW friends. I cried leaving dinner last night. And I'm not a crier so this is big for me. I'm moving away from a girl who has become one of the most important people in my life, and I'm torn up about it. I'm so gonna miss the patio nights, the last minute roadtrips out of town, the weeknights out late when our favorite Texas Country Band was playing, watching football like our lives depended on it, our long discussions about faith, love, and dreams, and so much more. I spent the night at her house last night, and when I left to come load up all my stuff to hit the road, it didn't feel like I was really leaving. Maybe it hasn't truly hit me yet. Everything has happened so fast, and I am so blessed by that, but at the same time, I almost don't believe it.

Anyways...

Now I'm about to hit the road. I need to start booking shows THIS WEEK. It's imperative that I dive into this scene and not be lazy about it. If you have any ideas on venues or band to play with let me know! That would be a big help. I don't know too much about Austin, so this is gonna be an adventure for sure.

"The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination." -Don Williams Jr.

3. Packing My Life Away

Yes. Of course I waited until the last minute to pack. But since the Woodersons are renting me a fully furnished bedroom, I only have to take clothes and toiletries for now. I usually dread packing, but today I am filled with excitement! Every shirt I pack, I pause and imagine walking down 6th st. in it. If I can see it, I pack it. If I can't... well I don't trash it, but maybe after a few months of living without it I can part more easily.

I spent the weekend in Plano and Southlake training for my new job. I'll be primarily a swim instructor for the next 4 months teaching little kiddos how to not drown! It was a pretty fun training. It all lead up to a certification test we took last night. We had to score an 80. I was worried...  I had dreams about my site director calling and saying, "I'm sorry Hanna Jo, but you scored a 35 on your test. That is unacceptable, so don't bother packing today. I'm afraid we can no longer hire you."  I got my results this morning and I scored a 94! Not bad for my first in 2 years. And such a relief.

I'm going to a "See ya later dinner" tonight with some close friends. I don't do goodbyes. We're going to Fort Worth's historically famous Joe T. Garcias. Its a funky town staple on the South side of the stockyards. They only have 2 things on the menu, and it's cash only. The margaritas are stronger than they taste, and the patio is gorgeous! It should be a perfect venue for me to say "See ya later."

 

I MOVE TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!

7 Day Countdown

7 Days.

I move in 7 days!

I have found a place to live, thanks to the Wooderson's (two of my married friends from college)! They are renting out a room to me, and they happen to live very close to where I will be working! THANKS YA'LL!!

My last day of work at my current job is Friday. Then I start training for my new job Friday night! I will be in training sessions all weekend in Plano and Southlake.  Monday I pack and go to a goodbye dinner with my Fort Worth crew, and Tuesday I move. Ahhh!

I am so excited about being in Austin, and I've already begun contacting bands and musicians that have expressed interest in booking me! I am sad to be leaving Fort Worth though. This week I am trying to eat, drink, and see all the Fort Worth-y things I will miss.

My Family
7th St.
Joe T. Garcia's
Stockyards
Kincaid's
Sundance Square
My kickball team (even though tonight's game, also my last, is rained out)
the not so bad traffic
95.9 The Ranch

I know I will miss these things, but it's not like I'm moving to Russia. I'll be back often. I'm still trying to think of more things to do before I leave, so if you have any ideas leave a comment! :)