Gina's Diary

March 2007 Archives

Diary Entry #19
29th March 2007

Hi everyone!
Thanks for checking in again!! It was so lovely last week to meet a few of our regular readers again. I know I have said it before, but when I meet you, it really gives me a face to picture as I write!

On Friday of last week, I got to perform at the Panthers Leagues Club in Sydney at a concert series of Golden Guitar Winners.
They ran over the week and included artists like Lee Kernaghan, John Williamson, Joy Makean and many more. I was lucky enough to be on the same night as Carter and Carter (Merelyn is a lovely friend of mine), James Blundell, Adam Harvey, Adam Brand and my good friend Beccy Cole. In my opinion, Beccy stole the show!! She was amazing!!! Very funny (as usual!!)
My husband Rod was the musical director for all shows and the band was incredible!
Really the “Super Band” of Australia, with Rod, Mitch Farmer on drums, James Gillard on bass, Michel Rose on pedal steel, Jake Lardo and Brendan Radford on guitar, Mick Albeck on fiddle and Bill Risby and Chris West on piano.
Every single artist that was on that stage couldn’t stop smiling, because I am sure this was the best band they had ever had!
I certainly enjoyed myself, though I am still feeling almost like the new kid on the block after taking so much time off!! I don’t really get too nervous anymore. (I think having kids puts everything in perspective) Though I do feel like I have to almost reintroduce myself to the audience. I guess it’s mainly because I feel like a different person after having all the time off to be a Mum. When I left the music industry temporarily I felt like a successful touring artist travelling the world and leading an almost charmed life. Then suddenly I was a sleep deprived woman with vomit on my shoulder and a beautiful baby who meant more to me than any career high.
Now that I’m back, I’m different. I am much more grounded. I think am much more approachable. I think I am just much less like a famous person and much more like someone you know, just like any other friend who has been through all the ups and downs of motherhood. I am really hoping this doesn’t sound conceited. In fact it’s just the opposite. I am just feeling so lucky and grateful for my life and all it’s opportunities. I am the luckiest girl on the planet because I am madly in love with my husband and he adores me, we have the most beautiful little boy and I am lucky enough to be getting the opportunity to sing my songs. I am really proud of my new album. I think it is the most honest record both musically and lyrically I have ever done. And I feel so blessed to be given the chance to come out and perform again!
Life is wonderful. I have always counted my blessings, but I do now more than ever before!
James Blundell made a wonderful comment on Friday night while I was talking to him. He said, “Children are the ultimate cure for cynicism.” How true!

Saturday, Rod and I flew up to Brisbane for another Leukaemia Foundation fund raising dinner. What a wonderful night it was! It was set on the Brisbane River in a beautiful restaurant. Rod and I walked there hand in hand from our lovely hotel over looking the river. We had a lovely meal and great company, then we had to get up and sing a few songs and just basically enjoy ourselves.
Of course on the way home I had to call into the “Parent Guilt” toy shop at the airport and buy something for Jackson!!! (I just buy something little!!)
He jumped into our arms when we arrived home!!!
It makes it all ok because I can see how much he adores Nanna and Poppy and how they adore him. He loves his time with them without us, because he is the boss of them!!!! (And they love that!!)

Early this week, Beccy Cole, Sara Storer and I drove up to Port MacQuarie and the surrounding region on a promo trip. We are starting our first tour together up there over Easter. Should be so much fun!!! We felt like Thelma and Louise (and Louise) driving off!!! Lots of laughter!!!!
I think this tour together is going to be wonderful!!! Can’t wait!!
Check the website to see if we are in a town near you. (In Oz only, sorry international readers!!)

Anyway, I must go up to bed now! I have had the dreaded cough that seems to be going around at the moment, so I need rest so I have my voice for our first tour next week!!!

Until next week,
Take care and don’t forget to count your blessings!!!

Live well, Laugh often and Love much

Gina x

Ps Funny Jackson moment of the week – We are going to move Jackson into a bigger bedroom, with room for his drum kit etc and I am trying to get him excited about it, so I showed him a picture out of a catalogue of a wall ladder for kids rooms (Ikea) and he gasped when he saw it and said, “Oh Mum, I have been waiting to get one of those for years!!” He is only just 4 and never seen one of these before, but obviously really wants one!!! He makes us all laugh so much!!!
Kid’s are just the best thing in the world aren’t they??

Diary Entry #18
22nd March 2007

Well hello again!!
Thanks for reading.
This week we headed out to Horsham in country Victoria for a concert organised by Lee Kernaghan.
It was a wonderful event. Lee had this great idea to lift the spirits of the many families on the land who have battled the last 10 years of drought. It wasn’t a fund raising event, it was simply a concert to lift their spirits. It really was a fantastic feeling to be a part of something that showed the farming community that we haven’t forgotten about them. I think it showed them that the rest of Australia really feel for them and know that we can’t survive without them.
Well, 20,000 people showed up and what a night it was!! It was aptly named, “The Spirit of the Bush” and boy, do they have spirit out there!!
I am hoping that even though it was just one night of celebration, the farmers and their family’s spirits were truly lifted and hopefully they are still on a high today!

The fun started with our trip to get there. We flew into Melbourne and then joined Lee, his wife Robbie and Leo Sayer on a small charter flight.
An hour later we arrived in Horsham, flying in over the venue to see the 100’s of cars already arriving.
We had a lovely lunch and then it was out to the venue for some media, back to the hotel and I got ready and before I knew it, I was on stage in front of 20,000 people.

It was lovely backstage catching up with Tania Kernaghan and The McClymonts.

On stage was thrilling, with the crowd screaming with excitement!
Like many big outdoor events though, I struggled with the sound on stage. Lots of feedback unfortunately, but the beautiful crowd made up for the difficult circumstances on stage!
I did my set and then headed out to the tent to sign lots of autographs! The people out there were just so lovely and I enjoyed every minute of performing and signing!!

Then, finally at about midnight we headed back to the hotel where I thought for sure I would be in for a peaceful night’s sleep (without a certain little 4 year old yelling out for Mummy in the middle of the night!) You wouldn’t believe it, at about 2.00am I heard a bit of a bang, bounced out of bed to run into Jackson’s room to make sure he hadn’t hit his head on the wall beside his bed! Aahh of course he was at home waking up Nanna!!!

We had a lovely breaky and walk down town before we headed off on the little 6 seater plane again. It was great to catch up with Lee and Robbie one last time (they are such lovely people!) and then we headed back home.
Of course at the airport, I had to go into one of those shops with all the toys that I have called “The Parent Guilt Shops”. I bought Jackson some Superman Snap cards and a funny book and anxiously waited to get home to see him!!

Driving down our dirt driveway, there he was. Waiting excitedly for Mummy and Daddy. He jumped into my arms and gave me the biggest cuddle ever!!! I couldn’t let go, but Rod patiently waited for his cuddle! Aah this is what life is all about! Great big cuddles from your kids!!!

Until next week
Make sure you cuddle everyone you love as often as you can!!!
Hold on tight, close your eyes and feel the love.

Live well, Laugh often and Love much!

Love Gina x

Diary Entry #17
16th March 2007

Hi everyone!
Thanks for reading again!
Well I have had the most hilarious week of my life!

This week we filmed my new video clip, “Stepped Right in It”.
It should be out in a few weeks.
The whole concept of the video is that Beccy Cole and I dress up as old ladies (aka Betty and Jean) and make a cameo appearance on my video!
It was filmed in a beautiful hall in Sydney and I was performing the song (as myself) on a huge big screen at the back of the hall, (we filmed this part the night before) while some gorgeous young dancers did this really funky dance. (Many thanks to my beautiful friend Marni, who owns a dance school)
Well, Beccy and I were wearing little old lady clothes, grey wigs and full latex old looking faces, with lots of padding on our bodies. We looked absolutely hilarious!!
We had to walk in the front door of this old hall, look around and say a few lines. Well I have proved without a doubt that I am the worst actor in Australia!! I could not get my lines out without laughing!!! Even when I knew my line was coming up, I would start laughing!!! And to make matters worse, Beccy happens to be the funniest person on the planet and her lines were hilarious and I just could not keep it together!!!
Just the way she would look at people got me giggling! Beccy stayed in character all day and even lunch was funny!!
Oh I have to give away a little bit of it…..it’s too funny!! As we walk in Beccy (Betty) says, “Ooh I wonder if they’ll put a bit of lunch on??” Well then in every single scene she is in, she has a sandwich in her hand. (Oh I am laughing out loud as I write this. I hope you think it’s funny when you see it!!! Maybe it’s just me and my strange sense of humour!!)
Honestly, my cheeks and stomach are sore from laughing all day. My best friend (since we were 11) Natalie came too and she is saying that she has a sore voice from laughing!!

I guess this week was meant to be a funny week right from the start because on Monday night I was tucking Jackson in and he said his all time funniest thing ever!
We are struggling to get him to give up his dummies at night when he sleeps. (In my defence as a mother, he has been the kind of child that has never slept very well, and we should have taken them away a long time ago, but it was our only way of getting him to sleep!)
Any way, he said, “Mummy, these dummies, they’re …..um….well…they’re just like smoking. That’s really hard to give up too.”
Well I laughed and laughed, and he said, “Mummy why are you laughing?”
I said, “Well how did you know that smoking is hard to give up?”
And he said, “Because my Uncle Jeff smokes, and he is finding that hard to give up too!”
Oh bless his heart! How can one little person bring so much joy to the world???

Until next week!!
Try to kick your bad habits!!! (If you have any!)

Live well, Laugh often and Love much!!!
Love Gina x

Diary Entry #16
6th March 2007

Hi everyone!!!
Thanks for reading again. Sorry this one has been a bit slow.
This time just regular life has kept me busy. I haven’t done as much TV or radio this week, just being a wife and mummy!!
I noticed I still wasn’t on Spicks and Specks last week, so maybe it will be on this week. (ABC Wednesday nights)
Also watch out for the 20 to 1 series. I filmed 2 of them a few weeks back. Mine was “Top 50 Entertainers of All Time” and the greatest lines of movies etc. (you know, “I’ll have what she’s having” and classic lines like that!)

Last week I did a photo shoot for our touring promo with Beccy Cole and Sara Storer. Today we all sat at my computer and picked our favourite shots before any of the management etc get them!!!
They were pretty good for a bunch of old scrubbers!!! We laughed about how much photo shop we will need compared to the beautiful young McClymonts!!!! (They are a wonderful group of 3 sisters who just picked up a heap of Golden Guitars at Tamworth and I think will be big stars of the future!)

We have been putting together our show set and band plus all the girly stuff, like how many outfits we should wear at each show!!! Should be fun!!!!

Have I ever told you my husband Rod is a chocoholic?? Here is the most extreme chocoholic story you have ever heard!! Ooh Rod will love that I told you this!! (He doesn’t read this anyway…..)
Yesterday morning, Rod was woken up by being bitten!! Yes that’s right bitten!! (not by me) Little black ants were in our bed only just on his side!!
So I investigated, and found ants all in his draws, I’m assuming thinking they had struck gold, steadily eating their way through a box of Tim Tam balls!!! These are little chocolate covered biscuit balls! Apparently, ants just love them!!!!
I don’t know how long ago Rod brought chocolate to our bed, but I am sure being woken up by ant bites should be incentive enough not to want to do it again!
Ha Ha!!

Today my beautiful Dad took Jackson to the circus!
Dad said he laughed the hardest and the loudest of the whole crowd!! It was just acrobats and clowns etc. This afternoon, he told me he wants to be a clown when he grows up. Well he sure makes me laugh!!
Every day Jackson does something that makes us all laugh.
I have been talking a lot lately to my good friend Susie about our gorgeous boys. (Her son Eli is Jackson’s best friend)
They go to pre school together and come home with all kinds of information. Their pre school is Christian based, and it really is funny how little kids interpret all that stuff. Now don’t get me wrong, we don’t go to church every Sunday, but we are happy enough for Jackson to learn all this at his wonderful little pre school.
The other day he said, “Hey Mum, did you know that Jesus is coming back for his birthday?” He’s kind of mixing up the whole Christmas, Easter thing I think!!
I’m sure I told you a few letters ago also that he was singing me a song about how much Jesus loves all the little children and when I asked him who Jesus was he said he thinks it’s Kurt, his teacher!! Ha Ha !!

Today I was watching Oprah with my Mum and I saw this wonderful idea I am going to start doing today. She said you should keep a Gratitude Journal. A diary where you write down 5 things a day that you are grateful for. (Not your nice house and husband, but things that happened that day)
Isn’t that a lovely idea???
It just makes you watch out all day for good stuff not negative! Sounds like a nice way to be to me!

OK I’ll start right now….
1. Jackson laughing so hard at the circus.
2. My Mum and I both with tears in our eyes as we watched an emotional story on Oprah.
3. Sara Storer, Beccy Cole and I all laughing at our wrinkles at our photo shoot.
4. Starting the day with a kiss.
5. My cousins sending me kisses over the phone.

That’s it for this letter!!
Thanks so much for reading!
Until next time,

Live Well, Laugh Often and Love Much

Lots of Love
Gina x