About Denise

20160708Age: 35
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Originally from: Central Texas
Education: Texas A&M University ’03
Major: Journalism
Interests: Writing, Photography, Traveling, Planning, Design

Part Texan. Part Nashvillian.

Born and raised in small town Texas. Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of 2003. Bachelor of Science in Journalism. In 2007, I married a touring musician and moved to Nashville, TN.

Writing is my trade. Photography is my passion. Music is my life.

I am close to my family, and I treasure all of my friendships. My cats are my kids. I drive a pick-up truck and think blue jeans are the greatest invention of mankind. I like to dress up for a night out on the town, but I equally enjoy getting dirty doing hard work.

I love to read, am addicted to the Internet, get excited about college football (especially the Fightin’ Texas Aggies! Whoop!), am a total night owl and consider myself a pro at traveling.

I love my husband with all of my being, and I am blessed with the crazy life we have. With me a writer and photographer, and him a musician, you can say we’re a creative pair and are often (frankly) broke. Its a total adventure of doing what you love for a living, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I am a Catholic, and my faith is deeply important to me. Faith has gotten me through so much, and I firmly believe the adage that, “Everything happens for a reason.” My belief in God peppers everything I do, write and say, but I also vow not to “preach” to anyone.

My pet peeves include bad drivers, typing with improper caps and/or silly shorthand that takes too long to decipher (I have literally reached the point that I won’t even respond to text messages that use it… contact me when you can spell it right), and just the rampant lack of people NOT thinking about the consequences of their actions.

I am an optimist at heart with big dreams. I’ve already achieved so many of my dreams, but I have a lot more to go. This blog is not only a chronicle of my work to achieve those dreams, but its a dream in and of itself. That’s pretty awesome, really. As we say in Nashville a lot, “Livin’ the dream.”

brainstorming

15 thoughts on “About Denise”

  1. Denise,

    By some weird twist of fate I stumbled upon your blog tonight while Alan and I were sitting doing wedding planning. I said, “HOLY COW. Denise is an amazing photographer we NEED her!” Alan and I are in the process of planning a million details for the wedding and when I saw your blog tonight I thought HOW PERFECT WOULD THIS BE? We would love to have someone that knows us photograph our wedding. Do you have any interest in this? We would love to hear your thoughts on this…

    Much Love,
    Molly & Alan
    Fiddle & Steel Sweethearts

    1. Wow! It would be my honor to photograph your wedding!!

      I’m out of town coming up, but I will leave one of my business cards with Alison with my email address, etc. so we can discuss details and see if its something we can work out. You guys are such an awesome couple and, again, it would be my honor!

  2. Went to school with Selena W. and saw your connection on her linked in page. Really enjoyed what I’ve read of your blog. Also enjoyed seeing the photos of Nashville – from Louisville so I am very familiar with Nashville. Also really enjoyed your photos. Can’t imagine how you do it all while traveling around so much. Shows how talented your are.

    Looking forward to seeing/reading more.

  3. I am a music producer of instrumental soundtrack music.– I need help in finding work in films ,commercials and nature videos.– I can also edit video.—Can you help?

  4. What small town in TX are you from?
    I went to high school in Abilene, college in Plainview, lived in the DFW area – I’m a Texan all the way through! (I just live in Kansas now.)

    1. Cameron! Its an hour south of Waco.

      Same for me… I love Nashville and it is definitely home to me now. But I’ll always be a Texan at heart.

  5. Hey Denise, read on twitter that you do a bit of bartending. We want to send out some free custom bottle openers to you to review. Can you send me an email?

  6. Howdy, ma’am!
    While searching for the poems read at Muster, I came across your blog and subsequently your posts about Muster & Bonfire. I must admit that I sat at my laptop and sobbed. When Bonfire collapsed, I was just four years old and living in a rural Virginia town that would be rocked by a campus tragedy of its own in just eight short years. If I think hard enough, I feel I can vaguely remember seeing the news coverage of the collapse. However, I now call Texas my home and I have been searching for a way to convey to all my friends and family in Virginia what it is like to be an Aggie and the sense of family you feel just by donning maroon. With your permission I would like to share your blog with them. The way you worded the feeling of Aggie family is the most eloquent explanation of it I have ever read and as a political science major, I spend a lot of time researching things. Thank you so much for explaining what it is like to be an Aggie. Somehow, you have managed to explain what it’s like from the inside looking out.

    Gig ’em and God bless,
    MJ Jackson ’17

    1. Howdy!!

      I can’t thank you enough for your kind words. Being an Aggie is as important to me as breathing, and I try to convey that to people. Most often I get a look back like I’m crazy, haha!, but I’m glad to hear what I am saying IS coming across as I hoped it would. Please do share my blog with anyone and everyone! That is the highest form of compliment you could give. Thank you so much again!

      Gig’em and God bless!!

      Denise Mattox ’03

  7. Hi Denise, your comments on Yoe pride were forwarded to me to help me get the story of how the Yoe family contributed to your school. I am writing a book titled Friday’s Winners about the winningest high school football teams in Texas. CameronYoe is one of the 12 schools I am featuring. I would like to quote your writing about how Yoe came to be in my chapter on Cameron Yoe. Mrs. Gelner forwarded them to me along with a couple of links that I haven’t opened yet. You didn’t mention the reading of the will which I understand happens on Yoe Day when the flowers are placed on the Yoe family gravesites. I will look at the other two links to see if they mention that. Anyway I like what you said back in 2009 and think it would be appropriate in my book. I shall credit you for writing it. But I don’t know your last name.
    Putt Riddle
    254-747-3076

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