“American Idol” star Julia Gagnon will appear at Maine Voices Live at Given Auditorium at Colby College in Waterville on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. Photo courtesy of Julia Gagnon and Nate Haven

Julia Gagnon of Cumberland gained national acclaim after placing in the top seven performers on the 22nd season of “American Idol.” She will sit down with Portland Press Herald staff writer Aimsel Ponti for a live interview at Maine Voices Live at Given Auditorium at Colby College in Waterville on Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. Register for the event at pressherald.com/signature-events.

On my perfect day, my fiancé, Nate, and I are awakened by the sun streaming through our windows, giving our snoring Bernese mountain dog, Odin, a golden gleam.

A perfect day starts by cuddling with Layla. Photo courtesy of Julia Gagnon and Nate Haven

The silence is disturbed by our kitty cat, Layla, letting us know that she has not had attention in the last eight hours (which is unacceptable!). All perfect days start off with a good breakfast, especially when it’s cooked by Nate, while I write music cuddled up with the animals.

Now, of course, everybody has errands to do, but on my perfect day our only errand is grocery shopping. I know! It’s an odd thing to want to do, but I love having something easy to check off my to-do list no matter what!

And so the day begins.

Now let it be known that our puppy, Odin, has severe separation anxiety and cannot stay home alone. However, having to bring him everywhere with us is a secret joy for Nate and I!

We start our day out by driving to Aroma Joe’s near the Jetport. We had our first date at the Jetport lookout, so the location has always been special to us – and, of course, the baristas have our orders memorized! (A 24-ounce Cranberry Rush with a cloud top for me and a 24-ounce Blue Hawaiian with no ice for Nate.) I cannot forget the fact that they always have Odin’s pup cup ready as well!

A perfect day also includes Odin, their Bernese mountain dog. Photo courtesy of Julia Gagnon and Nate Haven

With drinks in hand, we are then off to our favorite thrift store, Fashion Gods (in Falmouth). Of course, on our perfect day, we have plenty of time to sift through the clothes and pick exactly what we want for our next show! If the day were perfect, I would love to see the owners Tammy and Eddie as they have become great friends of ours and always have the best fashion advice!

After our shopping spree, we head to the Pet Quarters across the street, at the request of Odin, of course. We let him pick out anything he wants for five minutes and check out with a bag of gifts!

We then head over to the grocery store to dance through the aisles and laugh until our stomachs hurt as we get through our grocery list — I do have to disclaim that the key factor to my perfect day is, of course, my best friend by my side!

But all the same, we wrap up our perfect day at the local dog park in Cumberland, Twin Brooks. Ever since I was child, Twin Brooks has been one of my favorite places in the entire state, from its quiet beauty and tall grass, to the puppies running through the trees and kids playing soccer on the fields!

By the time we return home, the winter season has descended a cold sunset onto the house, and it calls for a warm meal. The perfect end to the perfect day is one spent snuggled up with the animals once again as Nate cooks a hibernation meal while we watch “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” We sip on Stonewall Kitchen’s hot cocoa set and chew on Clayton’s Cafe sourdough bread as we watch dinner steam the living room.

While it may not be everyone’s perfect day, it sure would be mine!