I write mostly on Hotel Paper, knowing my thoughts will never leave this room...

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of blogging...

SO much has been going on!! We have a ton of upcoming out of town shows. Kentucky, northern Indiana, possibly Chicago, several different cities in Florida, plus more in the works... We even got asked to come to Canada!! Pretty exciting!! We also just did a new photo shoot... Above is an exclusive first look at one of our new shots. ;) The rest will be up shortly on our MySpace and Facebook.

Also, we just recorded "The Empty Room" for the first time, all the way through. All the instrumentation is done, but I'm still working on the melody. It's coming though. Once that's done, the song is essentially completed for pre-production. :) We also have another new one we're about to record call "A Heart That's Torn". We're going to try to play both new songs at upcoming shows!! We've been working on a whole new set, and I'm pretty stoked at how it's coming along.

Nic's really blown me away with the leads he's been coming up with. I love how he just gets what I'm saying. I'll write the song, show it to him, and tell him, "Can you come up with a lead that sounds kind of eerie?" or "How about a simple lead right here? Nothing too overpowering, but something epic, that leads into this and helps build it..." and he just DOES it. Perfectly. Exactly how I imagined it sounding in my head, he manages to come up with it in minutes that just fits and makes the song. He has so much talent. I think our sibling bond helps us communicate really well too.

Besides band stuff, I've been enjoying reading Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, listening to Michelle Branch and Jack Johnson, and watching my favorite shows: Friends, American Idol, House, and Chuck!!! Such great shows! :) And then in a couple weeks, my grandpa is coming to visit for a week, and will finally get to see us play live... pretty stoked about that!!

So that's all the news I have for you right now. I'm really excited about sharing the new music and photos with you all!! And if you can, stop by a show and hear the songs live! We'd love to see you there. :)

Life, New Moon, And A New Laptop

I've had an amazing week. It was very, very busy, and very stressful at first... but the holiday weekend was just awesome. All the stress I was feeling... God completely took that away. It was a powerful, great change. I feel so much better.

Songwriting is incredibly therapeutic. I wrote a new song that really captures everything I've been feeling, and having it out there just makes me feel 100 times better. And also makes me realize how silly it was to have felt that way to begin with.

I have to say, I'm really proud of the new songs so far. I'm growing as a songwriter. :) I think the new album will be amazing, and I can't wait to record it.

Jesus has really been moving in my life, and in the band. He is planning big things, I think. I'm really looking forward to it.

On a random note, I've seen New Moon twice so far. And I have plans to see it a 3rd time. haha! It's AMAZING. So if you haven't seen it, you should. I'm also finally working on a new podcast! Yay! I got a laptop during the summer that was supposedly "just what I needed"... I think it was a lemon. The computer was made for movies, and yet I couldn't get any videos to play on it. So I couldn't edit all our podcast footage all summer and fall. Finally, they replaced my computer, and now I have an epic laptop that is the best computer I've ever used. So, podcasts are getting done! haha Keep an eye out for it here in the next day or two. :)

I need Africa more than Africa needs me.

"I've come to understand that I NEED AFRICA MORE THAN AFRICA NEEDS ME. Why? Because it is Africa that has taught me that possessions in my hands will never be as valuable as peace in my heart. I've learned that I don't need what I have and that I have what I need. These are just a few of this continent's many lessons. I came here to serve and yet I've found that I have so much to learn, and Africa, with all its need, has much to teach me." (read more about why We Need Africa More Than Africa Needs Us here)

When I read that, and all the wonderful things that the Mocha Club is doing, I was convinced that I wanted to partner with them and start a team to help benefit one of their projects. By giving up 2 mocha lattes a month -- hence the name, Mocha Club -- I can put that $7 towards something amazing. $7 here in the US doesn't mean much. You can't see a movie for $7 anymore, can't eat out at most places for $7... So we take for granted what so little and just a tiny bit of sacrifice can do.

To the people of Africa, $7 means food for one person for a month. It means clean water for 7 people for a YEAR. 2 children can be educated for a whole school term for that much. $7 can save one person's life from Malaria.

Honestly. Can you imagine that? By just skipping two of your coffee indulgences a month, you can SAVE A PERSON'S LIFE. To me, that's big. That's something worth taking notice.

So, that said, we as a band decided to start our team, and chose to pick Orphan Care as our project. When I went through the list of projects, that one just stuck out to me. Picturing all these young children, orphaned, and without a home... living in bushes and the desert to fend for themselves, and highly susceptible to animal attacks... It broke my heart, and I wanted to be able to do something about it. Our project helps provide food, shelter, and education to these children who have lost their parents to AIDS/HIV and war. That $7 a month can help provide all these needs and more.

So, now, I'm asking you: What can you do with your $7? Do you feel a calling to help those in need in Africa?

Check out mochaclub.org to join our project, and to see all the good they're doing.

Be the change.

~Cait

Fall Is The Season Of Change...

The color of the leaves, and the temperature haven't been the only things changing here lately...

It's been a while since I've posted. Sorry for the lack of blogging. Things have been crazy busy for the band! Past couple months, I've been working really hard at singing, learning new cover songs, figuring out a new set list... And then we've been practicing it like crazy! On Saturday we had a photo shoot. I just got done sorting through 900+ photos, and editing about 25 of them. Now I'm working on a new myspace layout, and website design. I won't be posting the photos until the myspace is done, but I'll share exclusively here one of my favorites... :) We were very fortunate to have sponsors for this photo shoot. LifeLoveMusic -- The clothing line that's partnered with Ben Kasica from Skillet -- sent us some of their shirts to wear, while Michelle Flowers at Beaux Cheveux did all of our hair. I -love- my hair and was so thrilled to get it done. :)

Tomorrow my best friend, Rii, comes to visit. I'm so excited!!! And then we're playing two shows this weekend... And we have one or two shows every weekend this month.

So big stuff has been in the works! I hope you guys will enjoy the photos, the new web designs, and the upcoming shows!

Today, one of my dreams came true...

I got to take my picture with Carl Edward's race car. :D The only thing cooler would be if Carl himself had been there. Of course, he's at Bristol today for the race. :P

I don't really get all fangirl-y over anyone, but I think if I met Carl, or Dale Jr, I would freak. hahaha

Yes, everyone, I'm a big NASCAR fan. :P

Lots of band stuff has been going on. We're doing a new photo shoot soon... I love photo shoots. It makes me feel like a model. :D hahaha Seriously though, I am looking forward to it, and being able to edit the photos and design our myspace and website based on those photos... I love doing that stuff, even though the web layout part is really difficult.

Also, you should check out THEDRIVEtv ... Our music will be played on their show. :) Pretty exciting! It's a cool show, so you should watch it.

We have some other cool things in the works, but the details aren't final yet, so I'll tell you about them later... :)

So, today, I am treating myself to girl time. :D My friend, Brooke, and I are going to the mall and going to just hang and be girly. It's a nice change of pace! I usually hang out with all guys, or mostly guys and a few girls... So I'm excited. :) Brooke is awesome!

Enjoy you're weekend everybody! :)