Well, the invitations went out for the wedding. I wanted a small wedding of 75 guests or so, but 300 people were invited to the big day. The RSVPs are arriving and there are way more people coming than we ever thought since, we are hosting a destination wedding.

This is my fiancé's first wedding and my second. My guest list was a lot smaller than his, but many of those invited attended my first wedding. That means they bought me a gift.

Etiquette says that these guests are not required to bring another gift to my second wedding. I looked it up on the "official" wedding dos and don'ts on The Knot, a Web site my fiancé knew about and I didn't. I know, I'm a bad bride.

Anyway, I am not sure how to bring this up to my friends and family. I talked to my mom and she said people will want to give us something because they like my fiancé so much. Which is all well and good, but I feel sorta like a mooch.

Am I supposed to send out a little email notification before the wedding to my peeps or post a short message on our registry? I am hoping that word gets out and folks don't feel obligated to bring a gift.

I listen to a lot of music and a lot of different types of music. Sometimes, I am more aware of the lyrics than others and find it amusing that after listening to a certain song for over five years, one day the meaning behind the song will have a direct impact on my life on that very day.

That is the power of music.

It is for that very reason that I have made my living as a songwriter. The ability to tell your story through a song that will reach a total stranger on level that makes them weep, laugh, give them comfort — that feeling is unmatchable. I love songs that I listen to and think, "Well at least I'm not alone in feeling this way!"

Music can be inspiring. It can lift your spirits or capture a moment so well that the song can become "your song." Many couples find artists and songs that encompass feelings within their relationship.

So, FWW readers, what inspires you?

I have a gig coming up in New York City around Valentine's Day and the venue has requested that I do a set of love songs. Luckily, this gig is now instead of five years ago when I was fresh off my divorce. I would have had to turn it down due to the complete nonexistence of love songs in my catalogue!

Anyway, as I was going through my songs — new and old, sorting through the sentiments where love is directed at an individual or the sensation of love, I thought about those that I love in my life.

I love my family. I think my parents are incredible well-rounded people who are extremely caring and overall wonderful folks.

I love my fiancé. He is a strong, caring, sensitive man with a wicked sense of humor who takes care of me when I need it and gives me the room to still enjoy my independence.

I love my girlfriends. Who doesn't, right? A strong support group of women you can talk with, cry with, laugh with and shop with. Priceless!

I love my fans. As cheesy as this is, it is true. They allow me to do what I do for a living. In exchange, I write music that touches them in some way.

Myself. I took a long, long time to get here, but I enjoy the woman I have become. I have grown into a person that has learned to accept shortcomings and flaws and appreciate my talents and gifts.

Who do you love?

Our wedding day is a little more than 100 days away and the chances of me not going crazy before the big day have significantly decreased since last week.

In a previous post, I mentioned that my fiancé's family was very adamant about throwing a shower for me sometime this year, and my schedule is already filling up. Plus, I'm not really a huge fan of showers of any type even though I appreciate the sentiment behind it.

That being said, my fiancé's parents have been divorced for 25 years and still have a hard time being in the same room together. His father's family wanted to throw one big shower and invite his side, her side, and any of my friends and family who would like to come. I had not had a chance to run this idea past my future mother-in-law yet because of the holidays, but apparently, we had not moved fast enough for his father because he called my fiancé's mother and wanted to know what the plan was for the shower.

So, needless to say, she felt that she was out of the loop and did NOT want to be a part of anything her ex-husband was planning. She called us the other night and she wasn't mad at us directly, but she was definitely angry. One of the first things she said was, "You know, we are not one big happy family."

Yikes.

Every year I sit down and write out a laundry list of resolutions. I found my 2007 list the other day and I think I actually completed two out of the 20! I definitely didn't rid myself of those "extra 10 pounds." In fact, I think I may have given the extra ten a bit of company. Bummer.

I started to write down my resolutions and by the second page, I thought to myself, this is crazy! How on earth can I accomplish all of these things in one short year!

So, I ripped them up and made three promises to myself.

1.) I let go of the losing a certain number of pounds and made a promise to myself to stay active and in shape.

2.) I also promised myself to enjoy my time in New York City when I'm not on tour. This is one amazing place and I feel that I need to spend more time exploring all of the wonders around me.

3.) The third thing is less tangible than the first two, but by far the most important. I promised myself to stay true to myself. As easy as it is to write down, it sure can be difficult especially when family or friends make comments or do things that make one think, "well, if I was only thinner/prettier/younger (fill in your own word), then maybe I'd be happier."

Well, the answer to that is pretty simple. Happiness comes from within and holding onto the things that I enjoy about myself and not letting others stomp on my self-esteem is my most important resolution this year.

Here's my best effort for a pep talk to all the ladies who are in need of some positive thoughts this holiday.

When I went through the holidays after my divorce, the first year was really hard. I felt all the eyes on me at every single party. I felt hollow inside and wondered if I could ever feel that warm holiday spirit again. I was lonely watching other families gather close. I wondered if I would ever be happy again.

The next year, I went into the holidays with trepidation, but it was a little better. I had made some new single friends, I was starting to date, and I had started to figure out what I wanted in my life.

The third year rolled around and I was finally excited about the holidays again. I went to parties single and proud of it. I went caroling with friends and family events were really warm and wonderful.

This was my timeline. Everyone's is different. The moral of the story is that time does heal. Sometimes it takes less time and sometimes it takes more, but eventually, memories fade and new experiences will take the place of the hurtful ones. So keep your chin up, celebrate the person you are and the person you are on the way to discovering and know that many of us have been there before. Believe me when I say you will come out better and stronger on the other side of your divorce.

We bought the bird and found a recipe that seemed safe. I was working on preparing the stuffing and Joe said he would rinse the turkey and remove the neck. He was standing over the sink rinsing away trying to find the neck. I heard a few curse words and I went over to help him.

He was peering in a small hole in the bird and couldn't figure out how to remove the neck through the hole. We called his Grandma who said we had a disfigured bird. We called his mother and she said we needed to quit joking around. We called my mom (who doesn't like to cook) and she recommended we order a pizza and not worry about it.

After about a half hour of trying to find the neck, he turned over the turkey and the cavity fell open. Lo and behold, there was the neck and package of giblets. We both looked at each other and started laughing because my poor Joe had been poking this bird in, ahem — obviously the WRONG place.

I told everyone in the family this story and now the question every year is, "Will Joe fondle the turkey or not?" He doesn't find this quite as humorous, but Dad finds it hilarious!

I cleaned up my gear and walked over. When I got there, my friends were sitting at two large tables. Neither table knew each other so I suggested we merge. One group represented friends after my divorce and the other were friends before my divorce.

The group of "new" friends eagerly chatted while the group of "old" friends sat there, waiting for me to turn my attention completely on them. When I did, one woman looked at me and announced, "Boy, you sure have changed."

The whole table became very quiet and someone finally said, "I know! Didn't she sound great tonight?"

The woman replied, "That isn't what I was referring to. New York has certainly made its impression on you."

With that comment, she left the table.

The next day in the car driving to my next show, I couldn't help but dwell on it. The one thing I kept coming back to is that sometimes people don't like to see you happy or see you succeed. It's just not in their nature. I'm getting remarried and the sadness from my divorce is gone. I see that as a wonderful sign of growth and have decided to let her comments go — as well as her friendship.

I'm a basics kind of dresser. I think it's the Minnesota Scandinavian in me. We tend to steer away from flashy.

Now that I living and dating in New York, I love to see what people are wearing even if it's something I could never pull off. However, when I try to mix in new and exciting fashion trends into my wardrobe, I wind up with yet another black shirt!

Am I missing a gene? Is it just a phase? I'm not sure exactly what to do. I have friends who can look at my closet and pull together outfits that I would have never imagined go together. It's certainly helpful, but it also makes me feel like a fool.

How is it that I don't see the potential stellar outfit just sitting in my closet waiting patiently for me to become fashion savvy?

Please tell me I'm not alone!

Friday night is a performance night, so I don't necessarily view the weekend like most people.

However, I have the next few weekends off before I leave on a CD release tour, and I am going to enjoy it!

When I was a teenager, Friday nights meant football games. When I was in college, Friday nights meant unpredictable and crazy amounts of fun with my girlfriends. When I was in my twenties, Friday nights meant two days of free time before returning to work.

Now, Friday nights can mean going out to a restaurant in Manhattan, making a dinner with my fiancé, meeting up with friends, going to a museum or maybe playing some music.

I must confess that some of my favorites are the quiet, romantic ones. Here is a song for all of those who also enjoy the romance in a relaxing evening. Enjoy!

Dance With Me
Music & Lyrics by V. Emerson

Dance with me darlin' and hold me close.
Show me the moves I can't get enough of.
For tonight all I need is more of your love.
Sway with me baby and whisper my name.
Your kisses are the sweetest serenade.
For tonight all I need is more of your love.
A midnight conversation between your heart and mine
will keep us together until the sunrise.

Click on the link below to listen to the attached file.