During my performances, I can't seem to help myself anymore.

I just can't be one of those artists who sit up on stage, terribly cool and aloof. They are seemingly uninterested in the audience and barely address them in between songs.

Maybe it's because I grew up in the Midwest and come from a family of hams - we love to make people laugh. Along with some musical talent, the funny bone was passed on down to me.

I tell audiences about my days as a UFO beauty queen, being mistaken for the short Dixie Chick, and my old quest for a smart cowboy.

When I filed for divorce from my husband, my friends and family kept telling me how nice it was so see me back to my old self — the old self that laughed and smiled all the time. At the time, I almost felt worse when they said those things, because I kept thinking about how much of my life I had wasted being unhappy with my ex husband. How could I have let him bring me so far down?

As I moved farther and farther away from the divorce, and my old self started to peek through more and more, I felt better about the decision to leave my husband. Never again will I let someone take laughter out of my life.