I've learned through writing that if something made me feel deeply or anything at all, it was worth it.

If you want some big revelation, since 2010 I have dated exactly two people. The fact that there are slide shows of a dozen guys that I either hugged on a red carpet or met for lunch or wrote a song with ... it's just kind of ridiculous.

When I figured out how to work my grill, it was quite a moment. I discovered that summer is a completely different experience when you know how to grill.

I think I first realized I wanted to be in country music and be an artist when I was 10. And I started dragging my parents to festivals, and fairs, and karaoke contests, and I did that for about a year before I came to Nashville for the first time. I was 11 and I had this demo CD of me singing Dixie Chicks and Leanne Rimes songs.

When you say, 'I spent my summers at the Jersey Shore,' people always say, 'Oh, really?' They think of the TV show. So I just say, 'A cute little harbor town in New Jersey.'

Maybe you're not meant to fit in. maybe you're supposed to stand out.

I think I’ve developed this pattern of running away when it comes time to fall in love and stay in a relationship.