Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum | Nashville, Tennessee



I feel like I have to be honest with you, dear readers. I am not a fan of country music. Any time I hear it, I immediately get an uncomfortable feeling and seek any means to stop it.  I know it's a bit harsh, but it's the truth. I don't get annoyed by much, but playing country music is a sure fire way to irritate me. So with that in mind, imagine how I felt when my lovely cousin Joy suggested we go to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Both Markus and I were uninterested, but she really wanted to go. We exhausted every possible option to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't budge. She even went as far as buying our tickets for us, so we had no choice but to go. I feel really lame telling you this story, because in the end, I actually enjoyed the museum.

Despite not liking country music, I'm a huge fan of folk music. I know, it doesn't make sense. In the museum there was a great section dedicated to old folk music. They explained the inception and evolution. It was great stuff. The rest of the museum was less about the music and more about the people that create the music. They even had some of the things that famous people owned. There were so many lovely items such as real blue suede shoes, a golden piano and a custom gun car. Anyway, I'm pretty sure there is a valuable lesson here about not judging things before actually experiencing it. Even though I enjoyed my experience, it still didn't change my mind about country music. I still don't like it. I'll stick to folk music, sorry country fans.


Ultimate Christmas Playlist


I love Christmas music. I remember waking up on Christmas morning and hearing the soothing voices of Dean Martin, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. My daddyo was born on Christmas, hence my name Noelle. My two older brothers, also have Christmas names.  Daddyo would wake up early to prepare the house for visitors. I would stumble out of my room and wish him a Happy Birthday and a Merry Christmas. We would sing a few songs together before I got ready for the day. I miss those days. It's been eight years since the last time we did that.

With the memories of those special mornings, I've created my Ultimate Christmas Playlist. These are my absolute favorite Christmas songs. It would've been easy to just post one of the albums that daddyo used to play, but there are so many amazing songs out there. I've compiled a list that spans all genres and eras. Take a gander, listen to a few and let me know what would be on your Ultimate Christmas Playlist!

  1. Don't Shoot Me Santa - The Killers
  2. The Little Drummer Boy - David Bowie & Bing Crosby
  3. Baby, It's Cold Outside - Zooey Deschanel and Leon Redbone
  4. White Christmas - The Drifters
  5. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - She & Him
  6. Sister Winter - Sufjan Stevens
  7. Let it Snow! - Dean Martin
  8. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays - 'N Sync
  9. Last Christmas - Wham!
  10. All I Want for Christmas is You - Jimmy Fallon, Mariah Carey & The Roots
  11. Christmas is All Around - Billy Mack
  12. I Wish it was Christmas Today - Julian Casablancas
  13. The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
  14. Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) - Death Cab for Cutie