How Charles "Chip" Esten and I wrote a Christmas song together, my word for 2024 and a new holiday playlist for you ✨
Charles Esten and I became friends in a really fun way. I was opening for Keb Mo at my favorite venue Fox & Locke in Leiper's Fork, and before playing the song "If I Didn't Know Better" I told the story of how it got on the tv show "Nashville" ... turns out Charles, who played Deacon in the show was in the audience that evening... proof of the small town that still exists here:) So, I called him and, although very random, asked if he would write a Christmas song with me. He's so cool, he didn't even question it and agreed. We went out to my friends log cabin on a horse farm and wrote "It's Christmas Day". It's about that feeling you get when you're so happy everyone you love is near and sad that the moment is short lived until the next year.
Sweet 2024
...like a rollercoaster, you were fun and terrifying
As for me, I am still working on my goals and working on horse farms. Getting outside and getting in the dirt has always been so fulfilling for me. My first dream was to be a rodeo queen :) It has been so rewarding volunteering at one called Saddle Up! where children with disabilities get to ride horses, build their confidence and gain healing in many different ways. You can't help but feel that these kids are here for us as apposed to the other way around. They really have taught me so much.
Here is my dream board. Dream boards keep things real and remind me of what I love and where I want to be in life. It can be scary going after any dream but once we write it down, it becomes a life of its own.
I send you warmth, love and peace this holiday season.
Sincerely,
Arum, or as my friends call me, A-rae ❤️
