Kissing Booth

Happy 4th Of July!

I hope you and your families are having a great 4th of July! We are heading out to celebrate with a picnic and fireworks now.

Love,
MB

Heroes, Hamburgers, and a Perfect Day!!

While driving to a little hot spot in Los Feliz to grab a burger, my husband, son and I noticed the Dodger bus right in front of the restaurant. We quickly parked, went in, and waited to be seated, hoping the whole time that maybe one of my son's and husband's heroes might be close by. As I went in to say hi to a friend who worked there, I looked over at my husband to see if we had our table yet. His eyes were popping out of his head and he was mouthing... JEFF KENT... BEHIND YOU!!

Now I have no idea what Jeff Kent looks like but I certainly know the name. I ought to. My son's fish is named Jeff Kent and at one time half his stuffed animals were named Jeff Kent. There are Dodger posters, Dodger balls, Dodger bobble heads, including one of J.K., Dodger everything from one end of my son’s room to the other. He and his dad have been going to Dodger games since he was 10 months old! When we play ball he is always Jeff Kent and his goal is to hit like Jeff Kent, unless, of course, he is being a catcher, and then he is Russell Martin, who BTW was also at this little luncheon. But for us it was all about Jeff Kent. Keep in mind, our son is only 3 1/2!! 


A very nice security person must have overheard our excitement and told us we couldn't talk to him now, but maybe we would get an autograph after the team ate. Of course, we never would gone over and interrupted his lunch, but I quickly explained to the security person that my son is a huge fan, and that his fish is even named Jeff Kent, and that this is an amazing coincidence, and well, it's just meant to be!!! I am not sure if he really cared or maybe he has just heard it all before, but he just calmly repeated himself and we went back to standing at the door waiting for a table.... or waiting for something!!

We then met a very nice woman wearing a blue Dodger jacket. Apparently, she saw my son's excitement, and began talking to us. She told us that the Dodgers were on a local goodwill tour for the next couple of days.
She then asked us, "Do you want me to take your picture next to the bus?". Of course, we said "sure". Meanwhile another nice woman in Dodger Blue, went onto the bus, grabbed something, and returned to the restaurant. As I ran back in to get my camera, (BTW a darn good reason to ALWAYS carry a camera) who should we almost run smack into?, the woman returning to the bus with Jeff Kent! So, camera in hand and son in my arms I said, "Would you mind taking a picture with my son?" I'm not sure how most Major Leaguer's are, but I have to say that Jeff Kent was so charming with my son. He and my baby were just talkin' away. They talked about Jeff’s kids and what his 4 year-old son named his fish! Oh, it was so sweet! I grabbed my camera back and started shooting... It turned out that the 2nd press woman had gotten a baseball cap for Jeff (notice, he's now ‘Jeff’) to sign for my son. It was so precious when he put it on my son's little head, then took it off, sized it, and put it back on. I know that both my husband and son will never forget this day. And there you have it, heroes, hamburgers, and a perfect day!!!

NPR Interview about banning the "B" word

New York City wanted to ban certain words, including "Bitch", so who does NPR call to speak about it? Yours truly. Here's an audio interview I did for NPR last August on the subject.

Here's the resolution.

All very interesting, I think.

Welcome to My Blog!

Well, I've finally taken this weblog live. I am so excited to have this blog out there. I hope that you all enjoy it and thanks for taking the time to stop by. I would love to get your feedback on these pages, especially since I am brand new to this "blogging thing".

I have to thank David Meerman Scott for all of the inspiration he has given me through his great book, "The New Rules of Marketing & PR" and his great blog, webinknow.com. This book was an unexpected encouragement, and before I read it, I had no idea what a blog even was. The most inspiring part of this book was that, through blogging, I could actually use my authentic voice to speak about what I am most passionate about and connect on a real level with real people. It has been nice to speak without being filtered through all of the usual PR hype that I normally am filtered through. So David Meerman Scott, thank you!

As I said, I am really looking forward to any suggestions and comments any of you out there may have, and thanks again for stopping by.

Meredith

Gestating

From the second my son was born, everything took on a different shade. Many things became greyer, falling quickly into the background, and some things became more obvious and others, crystal clear.

There were also things that used to seem so important that now felt almost silly to me. To realize I had this little being in my arms, and that I was responsible for guiding his life, was so awe inspiring that words can’t even describe the feeling.

The next year I was completely devoted to this commitment. Mirroring the best of him and imprinting the best of my husband and me. I chose not to work, except a bit here and there. Besides, I was only feeling inspired to be a mother to my son, I really didn’t feel I had any other type of creativity flowing through me. That was pretty scary after being a musician, singer-songwriter my whole life.

There were times I thought “ok now what”? I was this musician for 20 years and now I am a mother. This is who I am now. Will I ever be a musician again? Will I ever even want to be?

Luckily, I know how to trust those long, dry periods where it may seem like nothing is happening artistically. There were a few of “those” calls to friends, who had become mothers before I did, who would remind me of what I already knew, but was having amnesia about.

I was just gestating…..

Our 5th Wedding Anniversary

Today is my husband’s and my 5th year anniversary. It really does seem like yesterday that we were married on Thanksgiving Day. I remember thinking that when we get to 5 years, I wanted to renew our vows and get married, all over again. Today, I am arm deep in a gingerbread house with my 3 year old, still doing concerts and events, and I can't imagine having another wedding, but it really was, along with day our son was born, the best day of my life.

Sometimes, looking back, I can't believe that we ever made it, especially considering both of our backgrounds. I, for one, never knew how to be in a long-term relationship. But we’ve done it! (Actually, 10 years together now), and I am so proud at how committed we are, to us. We have been through it all... and I am not exaggerating when I say that. Including, last year, when we weren’t too proud to go back to relationship skills counseling to help us communicate better, now that we have a child. It’s hard when you think that you’ve got it all down, and then you get in a rut or even a backslide. Plus, as we found out, there is nothing like having a child to challenge a relationship… both good and bad!

We met while on tour and fell in love on a tour bus with an entire band and crew watching (yikes)! We thought that nobody knew, but they knew from day one! My husband is younger than me, so his clock wasn't ticking as loud as mine. Although we were both in the middle of very successful careers, I knew that one day I would want all those things that were over on the side, where the grass is greener.... he did not….at least not as soon as I did. So many times we argued just because we were in such different places in our lives, but somehow we both knew that we were right for each other and that one day the gap would close if we were willing to risk staying together. There was never, and has never been, a shortage of love! He asked me to marry him in June 2000.

Thanksgiving Memories

I love Thanksgiving. Before my son was born, it was my favorite holiday. For a non gift-giving holiday, this one has so many of its own gifts; family, friends, football, and feasts.

While it still ranks at the top of my holiday list, let’s face it, Christmas rocks when you have a toddler! In our house Thanksgiving through New Year’s has become one big holiday.

I love the smells of Thanksgiving – pumpkin pies, turkey, gravy, stuffing, fresh bread rolls and mashed potatoes. There’s something special about sharing a feast with family and friends.

Thanksgiving is about memories – remembering who we were, who we are, who we want to be; and for being grateful for all we have in our lives.

As much as I love having a home, cooking and celebrating with everyone, I have wonderful memories of Thanksgiving from the road as well.

And a few not so wonderful ones….

One Thanksgiving Day, I had to play a gig in Spokane. We had to play that night and all the restaurants were closed except for a Chinese one. I thought, “well at least I have my band”. I called my family and felt pretty sad, but decided to make it as much of fun as possible. After the usual goofing and craziness that only comes from being in a band family, I decided to go back to the hotel and get ready for the show. Within the hour I began to get so sick that I had to go to the hospital where they announced I had food poisoning. Nice.

Ok… let’s move on to a more pleasant memory.

On Thanksgiving in 2000, I had flown my mom down to Los Angeles and was planning a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner at our new home. We received an invitation from Jay Leno asking us if I would be willing to perform on The Tonight Show on Thanksgiving Day. Not much debate went on, after all it was the Tonight Show, but secretly I was a little sad that we wouldn’t be spending our first Thanksgiving in our new house with my mom. What happened after sound check was really cool and unexpected. We were invited us to join Jay Leno’s staff for a Thanksgiving Dinner, right there in the studios. It was so nice seeing all the producers, stagehands, crews together with their families. They really did seem like a big family. The best part was another total surprise. Jay Leno came over to our table and had dinner with my mom and me. It was so cool to just hang and talk outside of the show. My mom and Jay really hit it off. My mom can talk with anyone about anything, but I thought, “Maybe she will be star-struck this time. After all it is Jay Leno”. No way! My next thought was, “Wow Jay is really going beyond the call of duty”, but then I realized that Jay was authentically enjoying himself and the two of them seemed like old friends, sharing stories of each others lives.

Catching Up #2 (originally posted to site in 2005)

I thought I would check in and let you all know what I've been up to. As some of you know I dipped my toes into production and songwriting for other artists. I started by producing Jennifer Love Hewitt's last album "Barenaked" and since then I wrote and produced a track "Party Up" for Hilary Duff's album "Metamorphosis". I signed my first artist, Bec Hollcraft this year. She is a very talented singer/songwriter that you will all be hearing a lot about soon (see link on community page).

A few months ago I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Phil McGraw and his lovely wife, Robin. They decided that my single "Shine" would be perfect for their new season. Since then I have had the opportunity to perform the song live on the show and in the new TV Ad campaign. I've always loved my last record and was very sad when my label folded and I thought that this would be the perfect way to get my album back out there. Dr. Phil and Robin have become like family to my family and me. Which brings me to my big news... The new addition to our family, my beautiful baby boy!

I look forward to getting back in touch with you, seeing you, and reading your posted messages. I also can't wait to see you in person. Tour date news to follow.

Love, Meredith

Catching Up #1 (originally posted to site in 2005)

Hello Everyone,
Sorry I haven't been to visit in a while, being a full-time mommy is more full-time than even I had expected! However, there's been no greater joy or sense of fulfillment in my life. As a matter of fact, it's made me feel more creative than ever, and I believe has influenced my writing and work in the most positive way possible. I have just finished the first half of my artist, Bec Hollcraft's album and we are starting to work on the rest. Check out her website, www.bechollcraft.com. I think you'll find her amazing! I've been working with a few other artists, and when there is time, writing for myself. I think there may be some children's songs in the works... of course. I'm going to keep more involved with the website, now that I've found my way as a Mommy, producer, songwriter and artist, ...whew!!
Best to all of you.
Love,
Meredith