Today Is Carrie Underwood’s Birthday!

Yes! Today the most successful American Idol, winner of season 4, and my all time favorite Idol, turns 28 today! She is living the American Dream. She is an All American Girl.

Born in 1983 on a farm in Oklahoma, Carrie grew up in humble beginnings. She is the youngest of three girls. She was raised in a warm and loving family and developed a love of animals. She had a normal childhood and went to college to major in journalism. But, in her senior year of college she decided to try out for American Idol. She had never even been on a plane, but took at risk and left school to try out. She passed all the auditions and made it to top twelve. I knew she would win. Right from the beginning there was something special about her. But she had some stiff competition in Bo Bice, the season “rocker.” When they were ready to announce the winner, the silence was deafening. No one really knew how the votes would turn out. Ryan Seacrest finally announces “Carrie Underwood, your next American idol!” Glittering confetti rains down on the stage. I scream! My daughter’s jaw drops and she slinks out of the room shocked. She was a Bo fan and as sure of his victory as I was of Carrie’s. That was May, 2005.

The rest is really history. Carrie has won close to 100 awards in the last six years. She was inducted into the Grand Old Opry in 2008! She has recorded three platinum cds. The list of her accomplishments is endless. She managed to go back and finish her college degree. She said she did it for two reasons; one, her parents paid a lot of money for her to get her degree and two, she wants to be able to tell her children one day that she did in fact graduate. You have a admire her for that. She may never use her degree. She is so successful in her music career that money will never be an issue. She uses her popularity to raise money for special causes, including animals. She has a strong faith and never fails to thank God for all her blessings.

Along the way, a friend introduced her to Mike Fisher, a hockey player in Canada. They dated and fell in love. Despite the distance and hectic careers they each have, they have found a way to make it work. Last July they married in the middle of Carrie’s “Play On” tour. Carrie was prepared to live in Canada and they were building a new house. However, a few weeks ago Mike Fisher was traded to a team in Nashville, where Carrie lives and works. Again it seems God is looking out for this couple. I worried about how a long distance relationship would work for them, but divine intervention seems to have taken care of that.

Today is Carrie’s 28^th birthday. She is a phenomenal success. She is married. She is very happy and blessed. All that remains is for them to create a few little singing hockey players…and what beautiful little babies they will be!