You know, if I had a lick of sense or forethought – which clearly I don’t – I totally would have asked the internets to submit questions for your various and sundry singer / songwriter people last night, and then I would have tried to ask some of the singer / songwriter people your Very Important Questions and posted the answers here on the blawg.

That would have been fun if I had thought of it about fifteen hours ago.

But don’t worry: I’m filing away that idea for all my future – albeit currently non-existent – liveblogging endeavors.

It may very well be the best bloggy idea that I never get to, you know, use.

So since I dropped the ball in terms of taking your questions to the famous people, I thought I could at least address a few of the questions that you asked me last night.

1. Lots of you asked: What kind of awards are these ASCAP thingies, anyway?

Confession: I totally paraphrased that question.

The use of the word “thingies” probably gave away my editorial license.

And you can read all about ASCAP – as well as their Christian Music Awards – right here.

2. Bella asked: You have a nice gig going there, don’cha know?

Yes, Bella, I certainly do – because I love me a behind-the-scenes project.

Remember: I AM A TOTAL HOMEBODY – my idea of an exciting night on the town is to put on my pajamas and write some blog posts while I drink diet Coke (OVER ICE! IT MUST BE OVER ICE!) with some sort of reality television playing in the background.

So to sit and blog in a room filled with people whose music has had an incredible impact on my life and my husband’s life – well, IT WAS VERY SURREAL.

It was also very, very fun. In a must-not-make-eye-contact-because-the-glare-of-the-songwriters’-brilliance-may-sear-my-corneas-forever sort of way.

3. LeeAnn and Nicole had really similar questions: Just exactly how are you live blogging? So is your laptop up on the table next to the peachy cobbler? How is this working?

The country club had wireless internet, but unfortunately I could not access said wireless internet. And I even took TWO laptops just in case one of them had trouble, because there is nothing that screams I LIKE TO GET MY GEEK ON quite as effectively as carrying some sort of back-up computer.

Fortunately, Sister also had her laptop, and she was able to access the internet. So I sat in the very back corner of the ballroom and blogged from the table. I’d put away the laptop when the servers brought out, say, the cakey peachy cobbler, and then when I finished eating that course I’d put the laptop back on the table.

I was sitting with a group of people who knew exactly what I was supposed to be doing, so they were very understanding and gracious about sharing their dinner with someone who pretty much typed the entire time.

And as far as I could tell, no one else at the dinner had their laptops with them, but there was A LOT of texting going on. Ohmyword at the texting. I’m starting to think the texting is an epidemic, because people don’t seem to be able to sit through any sort of event without texting.

Of course, I have no room to talk about the whole texting thing since I BLOGGED FROM THE DINNER TABLE AND ALL.

4. Cindy asks: Who is David Crowder?

Oh, Cindy. I am so excited to make this introduction. Not that I actually know David Crowder or anything, but still.

David Crowder is an absolutely brilliant worship leader who won an award last night for his song “Everything Glorious.” He leads a band called, oddly enough, David Crowder Band, and you can check out their (very cool) website right here.

And in addition to David Crowder’s passion for Jesus and people, he has hair that is a force of nature.

Don’t believe me?

Look.

I totally took those on the sly, by the way.

Because I am a chicken.

But after I put some things in my car last night and was walking back in the building, David Crowder happened to be walking out of the building and DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED THEN?

David Crowder smiled and held the door open for me.

So obviously we are best friends now.

And I just thought y’all would want to know that.

Hey.

Have I ever told y’all how, when I was a little girl, I used to dream of being a background singer, a production assistant, or some sort of editor? And how doing behind-the-scenes stuff is pretty much my dream come true?

Because that is why tonight – sitting behind a computer, doing some heavy duty people-watching, listening to live music and writing blog posts in the middle of some large, celebratory event – is pretty much, oh, PERFECTION.

(Also, there’s a guy named Joel Auge singing, and I’ve never heard him before, but he is oh-so-very talented.)

Finally, I just ate a really good salad with tomatoes, asparagus, parmesean and proscuitto (in Mississippi we just slice that proscuitto stuff a little thicker and call it, you know, HAM). I really wanted to take my roll and drag it across the salad plate so that I didn’t miss even one morsel of deliciousness, but I thought that might be rude.

Up next: some fancy tenderloin something with some fancy grits.

And by the way, Chris Tomlin said the blessing.

IT’S JUST LIKE I’M AT HOME, Y’ALL.

My cousin Paige and I drove up this afternoon so we can hang out with Sister, and I’m going to liveblog the ASCAP Christian Music Awards because, well, Sister’s friend Dan asked me to.

And we love Dan.

So Paige and I went downstairs a few minutes ago and got ourselves all spiffy in the ladies’ locker room (we’re at a country club), and THERE WERE CANISTERS OF SNACKS THERE, so clearly I’m never leaving.

I take a large container of trail mix very seriously, my friends.

Especially when the trail mix contains M&M’s.

Anyway, now we’re sitting in the main room listening to Phil Stacey do his soundcheck (and he is ROCKIN’ IT, and don’t get me started about how surreal it is to sit here in a room where he’s, you know, PRACTICING), and just a few minutes ago I snapped a picture of Sister while another band you may have heard of did their sound check.

That would be Mercy Me.

So I’m going to sit back here in my little corner and snap pictures and write blog posts. It’s like I’m in my own little geeky heaven right here in the middle of the fancy singer people.

This is gonna be fun, y’all.

Check back in a little bit for more updates.

Edited to add: all the CD’s have been claimed – thanks so much for your great response! And if you missed out on the freebie, you can still get a really good price ($8.97) on one here.

So there’s a worship leader named Matt Maher who has a new CD (random bit-o-trivia: Matt actually wrote “Your Grace Is Enough,” which was recorded by another guy named Chris Tomlin – I think I may have mentioned him once or forty-thrice times).

Well, Matt’s new CD is called Empty and Beautiful, and I cannot even tell you how much I ADORE IT. In fact, the first time I heard the whole CD from beginning to end, I knew it was going to be in what I like to call “the rotation” for a really long time.

I’ve blogged about the CD a good bit over the last couple of weeks, mainly because I can’t seem to stop listening. There’s a song called “Great Things” (which Randy actually told me about when we were in Africa) that I think a lot of us will be singing in our churches in the next year. And the lyrics to the title track are so beautiful that I get all teary-eyed when I hear them. I could go on and on.

And guess what, internets? I have some mighty fine news about a mighty fine CD: if you are a blogger who has at least 50 unique visitors a month, you can claim your FREE copy of Empty and Beautiful right here.

But you’d better hurry. Because there are only 100 free copies, and TIME’S A WASTIN’, MY FRIENDS.

Y’all are going to love it. So go!

GO!

(And if you get one, come back here and let me know. We can hug and squeal and stuff. It’ll be fun.)