alwaysatoppositeendsof thecountry.Weknowwhat eachother
isgoing through;we inspireeachotherand like tobounce ideas
off eachother,” she says.Andwith fame comes the inevitable
microscope. “Whenyouaremarried toa celebrity, people
start looking for reasons to tear youdown,” shenotes. Very
grounded, solid, andwisebeyondheryears, Lambert explains,
“Wearevery real anddon’t get caught up in the crap.Afterall
is saidanddone,wewill beat homeand livinganormal life.
We just don’t get caught up in the celebritymayhem.”At a time
when countrymusicartistsarebecomingbrands,will Lambert
follow suit? “Iwant todo it all!” sheexclaims. “Iwould love to
have aboot line— cowboybootswithheels—andaperfume.
Iwould love tobe thenextReba, but it takesa lot tobuildan
empire!”One thingLambert hasadded toher empire-building
résumé is the roleof actress.AhugeaficionadoofNBC’s long-
running series
LawandOrder
, sheguest-starredasanactress
who isassaultedbya reality-showproducer. “I haveall theepi-
sodesTivo’d. Iwatch themarathons and follow the show reli-
giously.”Of the role, Lambert notes, “Having tobea character
oppositemy personalitywas scary— I am confident and
opinionated and had to play someonewhowas subdued.”
She studiedwithacting coachSusanBatson (who coached
TomCruiseandNicoleKidman), andwhile shedoesn’twant to
beanactress, she says “If the right part camealongand itwas
small, Iwouldexplore it.”
Whenshedoes takeabreak fromperforming, downtime is
spentwithSheltonandamenagerieofdogs, pot-belliedpigs,
chickens, andhorseson their farm inTishomingo,Oklahoma (just
anhourandahalf fromOklahomaCity). “Weareveryoutdoorsy
peopleand like tohuntandfishand justhangoutat thehouse.”
Lambert isoften travelingnationallyona tourbus, butnot long
agoventured to ItalyandSwitzerland for theveryfirst timeand
found theexperienceamazing. “WestayedoutsideofFlorence in
Tuscanyand tookday trips toChianti (whereshe tookacooking
class)andRome.Wealsohadashow inGstaad,Switzerland— it
wassobeautifuland Iwould love togoback, ”shesays.
Lambert’sdogsarenearanddear toherheart. She is in-
volved in thedog rescuegroupMuttNationFoundation,whose
mission is tofinanciallysupport theno-kill sheltersofTishomingo
and thesurroundingareas. Shehostsandorganizes theannual
Cause forPawsconcert tohelp theHumaneSocietyofEastTex-
as. The foundation raised nearly $300,000 at the fourth an-
nual event.Thecoupleownsixdogs—all adorablemutts that
were foundon thesideof the road. “People just leaveanimalsat
ourdoor.”Several ofher rescueddogsstole theshowatherstar-
studdedwedding lastyear—servingasbridesmaids. “Animals
loveyouunconditionallyandkeepyougrounded. I reallyneed to
be involvedwithanimals inanyway I canand feel likeweare
makinga real difference.”
If the last year is any indication, Miranda Lambert is
making
quite
adifference, bothonandoff the stage.
COVER STORY
Queen of Hearts, Queen of Country
©RANDEE ST.NICHOLAS (2)
SuMMER 2012
celebratedliving.com
46
