As you tennis fans know, Wimbledon is ON!! I haven’t gotten to watch many matches because of my schedule, but I’ve checked…as OFTEN as I possibly could!!!

All that matters is that Andre is STILL in!! I saw an interview with him yesterday…amongst the “who will Brad Gilbert be coaching” episode!! Oye!! He (Andre) seems SO happy & fulfilled!! As I watched, I remembered one of the MANY reasons I like him!! His smile!! It’s so honest and real!! It’s probably one of the best smiles I have ever seen! He just beams!! (Julianne don’t start with me on the whole Brooke & Andre thing…now’s not the time!!!) But he’s retiring this year…his last Wimbledon!! How AWESOME it would be if he won!!!!!!! And how sad that I will never see him play again…well not as an ATP man!! L One of “goals” is shot!! Ah well!! Such is life!! But I really am bummed about it! Maybe if I can get to the US Open this year….but I don’t see that happening…(sigh) L

Who I’m watching?

Agassi (of course, THE MAN!!)

Nadal (the “clay” boy wonder!) – and thank you bgilter for the Nadal update!! (HA!!) Pour-ting!

Blake (my hero!)

Federer (the genius!)

Nalbandian (GOOD player and tough for Fed-head!)

Ancic (because he’s just GOOD too!)

Hewett (just don’t be a jerk to Blake or I will have to start hatin’ & THAT’S not good!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Watching but not much hope for:

Bracciali (your cute, although the “mug shot” on the site looks pretty…muggy!!)

Murry (go Andy!! The Brit’s love ya & so do the Scots!!!)

Haas (hmmmm….very interesting!! How far this year??)

Roddick (don’t get me started, although good game today! Talent is talent…but humility is a beautiful thing & right now you’re not even very pretty!!) L

Oops for:

Hanman….sorry man!

Philippoussis…grow up…that’s what you get for dating Paris’s girl-toy! (whoa! That wasn’t very nice of me, now was it!! Don’t worry, I’ll repent & apologize….later!! Okay!! Sorry Nicki!!) L (for the record I heard he wasn’t very nice to her!! What a JERK!!) L

Sanguinetti…you have a really cool name!!! J

Who I’d LOVE to see in the finals? Agassi & Nadal! Who will probably get to the finals? Federer & Nalbandian. Now, I’m NOT dissin’ Andre, I just worry about his physical health!! Although for thirty…what 36 now?? You look DANG good…. & play well too!! J (hee, hee!)

And that’s it for now, pal!!

I went to my first dog show today!! Why? You ask. My cousin shows American Eskimos. They’re BEAUTIFUL!! Ya know, I’ve never heard the word….well, I just can’t type it out….you know – witch with a “b”. (So, I’ll just substitute, “b-witch”) Well, I have NEVER heard that word said so many times in one day and NOT be used as a curse! ARG!! It was unnerving at first, and then I was okay. The phrase, “Wow, that’s a really nice b-witch!” had a whole different meaning for me. And I agreed with the person saying that on many occasions.

I remember in college my roommate and I getting caught up watching Westminster’s one weekend! Then our friends came over and we all got into it too…it was weird! So I still watch it occasionally. I like watching them at home because Annie barks at all of the dogs.  Anyway, it’s really just a pageant for dogs!! And MAN do these people take it seriously! (Anyone remember the movie Best in Show!? Christopher Guest…nailed it!!!!! I should rent that movie again sometime!) Although my cousin’s not a freak about it, she does have beautiful dogs!! One of her dogs, Maggie, won BOB!! (Best of Breed). It was kinda dorky, but I was really excited for her!!! (hee, hee!!) Eek!! OH, and BTW, they have “show-moms” like “pageant-mom’s” too. And they are B A D!! Can’t people act like adults!! Sheesh!!

Janie said she'd “cut me a deal” on one of her puppies…I’ve seriously considered it!! They are SO adorable!! Speaking of that I saw this really cool bumper sticker the other day that said: Dogs are for life not just for Christmas! And I agree 100%! My dog is like my child…to a point, but I she is!! J

Okay, first of all, last night was a BLAST!! It was one of those…I’m supposed to be here…moments. Ya know!! I was just honored to be with those guys…and 2 girls (HA!)…it was just WOW! Live instrumentation, all of that crazy focused energy…whoa! I have to admit: The Setzer number was one of my FAVS!! Have the CD and it’s AWESOME!!!! And Mark flippin’ ROCKED!!! (Jen & I asked if we could kiss his fingers!!) I’m SO listening to the track right now!!!! And, uh, Mr. Setzer….I believe Mark SO ran you OFF!! And MIKE!! My mom is in love with you….not like THAT, but in love with your trumpet playin’!!! Jen & I sat back down from a potty break and mom turned to me and said, “I’m in love!!” Ya see where I get it??? Oh, and, I prevented her (my mother) from dancing on any more tables!! (hee, hee!! For those who needed to know that bit of info…and you KNOW who you are!)

Oh and Jim!! Mr. College basketball coach, you are SO COOL!!! Forgoing the FINAL to come hear us?? Now THAT’S friendship! (Although we know you TiVo-ed it & will “study” it sometime today!) And I HAVE to meet your wife!! She sounds SO COOL too!! Anywho, thank you for the insight!! Jim, Tom’s best friend, is the absolute coolest coach I’ve EVER met!! Jen, Jim & I talked about “performance levels” of singers/actors and the similarities of sports athletes and it was one of THE most intriguing conversations I have EVER had…all this at 1am in the morning, mind you!! (And YES, we talked about tennis!!) He SO psychoanalyzed my performance and it was the COOLEST thing!!!!! (You asked me questions that I never realized were so…“sports medicine”!!) And thank you for the compliments!! Jim, I’m SO gonna call you guys!! And I’d like to officially ask you to be my life coach!! J (hee, hee!) Thank you for the encouragement and “the talk”!  

And thank you Bill Causey for asking me to do the gig!! And MAN, can you not ever PLAY!!!! AAHHH!!! And you’re so “cool” when you do it! And Jen-Jen, I LOVE YOU!!! Your girls were AWESOME!! You are a magnificent talent and teacher and just a beautiful person inside & out!!!! And Tom!! Thank you for YOUR compliment!! Ya know, your mom can tell ya something, but when a fellow musician tells ya something…wow! Thank you! I SO respect your AMAZING talent!! WOW!! I was just blessed. It was a good evening!!

OH MY GAW!!! While I’m about to get my “beauty…uh vocal rest” for tomorrow, I just HAD to blog about the Summer Band rehearsal!! Jaw-dropping, flippin’ out, oh my gosh!!! SO Jen, mom and & I go to the rehearsal hall in time to hear, Mike Williams, uh the LEAD TRUMPET PLAYER for the Count Basie band!! HELLO!!!! He hit notes I could not BELIEVE!! WHOA!!!!!!!!! Absolutely Amazing!! People where so flippin’ out they were calling people and letting them hear him on their cells… He’s just…OH MY GOSH!! No words!! And THEN, I get up to rehearse and the band just blows me way!! They are flippin’ amazing!!! The charts were PERFECT!!! PERFECT!!!! And THANK YOU Vicki for helping me “corner” the Ella song! It SO worked!!! BUT, in the middle of Big Time when the guitar solo hits….Mark Griffith…ripped it up!!!!!! I was like peeing on myself…well not really….but WHOA!!! I was so in AWE that Bob…sorry I don’t know your last name…the sop. sax player had to remind me to come back in and finish out the song!!! I just thought, man, I am SO blessed!! Anyway, I’m off to dream land while my mother and best friend go out partying!! When I work, I don’t play!! Well, only on stage because it’s part of it and FUN!! But, I can go out tomorrow night AFTER the job is over!! See, I’m a good girl!! (seriously….you have NO idea!!) J

1st a shout out to Robert Trudeau for an awesome “blog-write” on the show this week in Shreveport! THANK YOU!! You are SO sweet!! I am REALLY excited!! Plus the fact that I get to work with my best friend, Jennifer Dowd-Stone and her husband Dr. Tomas Stone! (hee, hee! The Finale track was awesome, Tom!) It should be cool…well not outside! I have to find my favorite sun dress to sing in…cause we gonna be sweatin’!!! And Tom, let us hope that I do your favorite song justice!! Maybe as well as Ella?….well almost as well…she’s was just A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

And 2^nd-ly a shout out to Bill in Austin!! How funny!! Yes, it’s tiresome to read the Nadal banter! I understand!! And concur! My mom said I came out of the womb boy crazy…and it seems to run in our family genes! But, I’m not THAT freaky!! I’m a very excitable person at heart. Plus, it’s just fun to pretend! And THANK YOU for your encouragement with Nadal!! (HA!) We just need to start a petition to him!! Hey, I’m right in Texas! I could live in Spain! I’ve always wanted bilingual children! J (hee, hee!) “…only Make Believe…” And, of course, that’s what it is…..(sigh). I’m just being a silly-bear!  

To all – feel free to download the voice mail!! I laughed SO hard…while I was trying not to have a wreck driving down the street!! (Hee, hee!) And Bill, thank you for taking the to time read my blog! I am honored! BTW – I trust you will get to your destination safely! Gotta love flying!

Hmmmmm….should I start my own podcast? Aaron…where are you? J I think I know who my first guest would be!! I talked to her today!!! Hmmmmm…….