<h3>First off&#8230;HI! I&#8217;m HaleighT and this kicks off my first weekly editorial! I just wanted to share a little to maybe show what I&#8217;m about&#8230;so here we go!</h3>
<p>I may be the newest member of the <strong>CMNB</strong> team, but I am no newcomer to the country music lifestyle. Growing up in Eastern Oklahoma and spending my summers in Northwest Arkansas, I basically lived a country song. I was brought up with a strong faith, was taught to show love, be respectful and work hard by some of the greatest people on this earth, my family. A group of individuals with huge hearts and out of this world personalities! Making them proud is a goal that I will always work towards and hope to always achieve. I also have some of the best friends a girl could ask for, we believe in having a good time rain or shine! I love a good plate of BBQ, a cold beer and the sound of a steel guitar (or fiddle!). It&#8217;s best to TRY and not stress the small stuff that won&#8217;t matter a year from now, <strong><a title="Tracy Lawrence" href="https://stubhub.prf.hn/click/camref:1100ljXyr/pubref:WPSTLawrence/ar:CMNBAutoLink/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stubhub.com%2Ftracy-lawrence-tickets%2F">Tracy Lawrence</a></strong> taught me &#8220;<em>the only thing that stays the same is everything changes</em>&#8220;. </p>
<p>I&#8217;m a devout fan with a respect for all performers, big or small, as long as they stay true to themselves. I love country music for the simple reason that each song tells a story. Close to home lyrics can make you cry, smile, get angry or move on! They can help get you through a tough situation or remind you of a crazy night out with friends. Go ahead, go make a soundtrack to your life, it&#8217;s fun!</p>
<p>There are people who have world maps with colored push pins, each representing places they have been and places they would love to go. In comparison, I have a list instead of a map, with three columns instead of push pins. A column for the artists I have seen, a column for the artists I want to see, and a column for the artists I can only dream of witnessing up there beyond those pearly gates one day. I feel honored to have seen country legends <strong>Merle Haggard</strong>, <strong><a title="Willie Nelson" href="https://stubhub.prf.hn/click/camref:1100ljXyr/pubref:WPSWNelson/ar:CMNBAutoLink/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stubhub.com%2Fwillie-nelson-tickets%2F">Willie Nelson</a></strong>, <strong><a title="Hank Williams Jr" href="https://countrymusicontour.com/hank-williams-jr-announces-2024-tour/">Hank Williams Jr</a>.</strong> and <strong><a title="George Strait" href="https://stubhub.prf.hn/click/camref:1100ljXyr/pubref:WPSStrait/ar:CMNBAutoLink/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stubhub.com%2Fgeorge-strait-tickets%2F">George Strait</a></strong> along with dozens of others. I look forward to someday (sooner than later) getting the chance to see <strong>George Jones</strong>, <strong><a title="Garth Brooks" href="https://stubhub.prf.hn/click/camref:1100ljXyr/pubref:WPSGarth/ar:CMNBAutoLink/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stubhub.com%2Fgarth-brooks-tickets%2F">Garth Brooks</a></strong>, <strong>Don Williams</strong>, and <strong>Loretta Lynn</strong>, along with many, many more! And only in my dreams I have been front row center to many late greats including <strong>Conway Twitty</strong>, <strong>Keith Whitley</strong> and <strong>Patsy Cline</strong>! </p>
<p>I am loving my job as an assignment journalist! Basically, my role is to meet as many people as possible, go to as many live shows as possible, and put out the most information as possible for country music fans in a journalistic style. The past couple months have been great and I can not wait to see what is in store for the months to come! I have made it my mission to have the best summer yet and look forward to sharing all my crazy adventures with all yall CMNB readers! </p>