I flew to New Hampshire to surprise my Dad for his 60th birthday.

All things LOST. The sixth and final season premiered on my 32nd birthday. An episode featured someone I know as an extra. Our Dharma themed finale party.

Sara took me to my first Vanderbilt men's basketball game.

Sara and I took our first road trip to Chattanooga and hit up places like Terminal Brewhouse, Greyfriars, and Clumpies which have now become some favorites.

I signed up for the Mellow Mushroom Beer Club. I would need to drink 70 of their 80 beers to become part of the club. I finished my 70th beer and joined the Mellow Mushroom Beer Club AND got my name on the wall.

In March I took a self imposed challenge of trying 1 new beer a day for 30 days.  After the challenge I kept trying new beers (but not at 1 a day). In all I have tried over 160 new beers this year.

Went to the Franklin Main Street Brew Fest, the 9th annual Music City Brewers Festival and enjoyed a fall beer tasting at Flying Saucer and a winter beer tasting at Stogies.

Road trip to Murray, KY to see tobyMac and House of Heroes but not without a stop in Paris first. Paris, TN that is.

Finally purchased my own record player and got serious about vinyl. Probably a bad thing but  it's a lot of fun.

First visit to Martin's BBQ was when they we were doing a taping for Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Took a mini-vaca in Cali in April. Sara had flown out earlier to help her family with the Festival of Life. The Coachella music festival took place while I was there but instead of going to that we enjoyed the pool, the Palm Springs Tramway, and the Beer Hunter.

Went to my first Predators playoff game…they lost.

Finally had my wisdom teeth taken out.

Spent 2 days volunteering to help those that lost everything in the Nashville flood. It was a very humbling and rewarding experience.

Sara and I spent her birthday in New Hampshire with my folks. We had amazing day trips to: Perkin's Cove in Ogunquit, ME (where I enjoyed fresh lobster rolls at Footbridge Lobster and Barnacle Billy's), Portsmouth (where I tried the 10 beer sampler at Portsmouth Brewery), Lake Winnipesaukee in Meredith and of course BOSTON. I even tried deep fried French Toast for the first time at Parker's Maple Barn.

Participated in my 2nd Cow Appreciation Day.

Road trip with Sara and the Powers to Louisville, KY to see Louis of Gasoline Heart perform. But not before we stopped at the Zappos outlet, had brunch at Lynn's Paradise Cafe, checked out the 21c Museum Hotel, and had some killer brews and amazing apps at Cumberland Brewery.

Flew to PA to surprise my fam for my niece Eva's 1st birthday. We had a blast together.

The hardest album I have ever worked on (House of Heroes "Suburba") as A&R and Marketing Manager debuted at #48 on Billboard's Top 200 after it's release on August 3.

I finally got to see Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers when the MOJO Tour hit Nashville. And with some of my favorite people...Sara and the McNeelys.

Another trip to PA for Purple Door and hang time with Eva.

Sara and I got to see the Chihuly Nights exhibit at Cheekwood.

Sara, Tobin, and I "made the paper" after attending the Thompson Station First Annual Sweet Tea Festival at the Homestead Manor Plantation.

Started watching Penn State games with Nashville Penn Staters. Chatted it up with local weather man Dan Thomas.

Sara and I joined the McNeely family of friends for a few days in Las Vegas. I won $80 the first night in a rock/paper/scissors tournament but that was my only win. We had a blast staying at the Encore, catching a FREE showing of Le Reve, walking the strip, and placing a few bets on some horses.

Went to the Titans 2010 season home opener.

Road trip with Sara, Beth, and Frank to ATL to see Jimmy Eat World.

Saw FREE advance screenings of The Town, Due Date, and True Grit courtesy of GoFoBo.com.

I moved into a new place in downtown Franklin. I even got a bike to ride to work.

Met Jim Breuer.

Found out I'm gonna be an uncle for the 2nd time.

Spent Thanksgiving in Omaha, NE visiting Sara's extended family. Had a blast playing "pass the ace". Loved Beertopia and the Element.

Ending the year with Sara in California.

- I flew home to PA at the end of July to surprise my family for my niece Eva's 1st birthday.

I hadn't seen her since January. On my last day there she really warmed up to me...

...and we had a blast together.

- The 9th annual Music City Brewer's Festival was a blast. The rain held off long enough for me to try a few new beers including some from Good People Brewing Company in Birmingham, AL.

- Work kept me really busy. Gotee's one "new" album of our four releases this year was House of Heroes latest called "Suburba". I have never worked as hard as I did as A&R and Marketing as I did for this release. And the result of the band delivering a great album and our hard work was that after it's first week of sales we saw it debut at #48 on Billboard's 200. I've jotted down some thoughts for a blog called "Marketing 'Suburba'" so we'll see if I ever post it. If you haven't seen their music video for the song "God Save The Foolish Kings" please do so below.

- I finally got to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers along with Sara and JR & Lori McNeely. When "I Won't Back Down" and "Free Fallin'" are third and fourth in the set you know it's gonna be a great night. I was smiling and singing along the whole time. It was an incredible show from Tom despite the long opening set by Crosby, Stills & Nash.

- The very next day Sara and I flew up to PA for the annual Purple Door Festival. It's always a great trip because I get to see my family and get to see some of the bands we work with.

- Sara and I went to the Chihuly Nights exhibit at Cheekwood. Definitely one of the coolest things I have seen.

- After signing up for the Mellow Mushroom Beer Club on February 25th I became an official member on September 3rd.

- Sara, Tobin and I had our picture in The Tennessean.

- Sara and I joined a group of friends for a trip to Las Vegas for a few days.

I won $80 the first night in a $5 buy in rock paper scissors tournament but that was my only win. But that didn't stop us from having a blast! We were even given free tickets to see Le Reve, which was great, and had In-N-Out twice. I can't wait to go back!

- I signed a lease on a new place in downtown Franklin. I'll be moving in less than 2 weeks. It's hard to believe I've been in my apartment for just over 2 years so I know there'll be an adjustment with the new place. I'm excited the most about the location of the new place. It's less than 1/2 mile from Gotee so there's now the ability to walk or bike to work and to the spots I like to eat and hang out. There's also a great patio which means I can finally fire up my grill. I just hope that since its last use over 3 years ago that it still works.

Anyways, that's the latest.

Sara and I have been together for over a year now.

Seeing AC/DC for the first time…which included a full size locomotive engine on stage.

LOST on Wednesday nights with Sara, the McNeely's, and Adam.

A trip to Chicago in March with Sara to see the Jimmy Eat World "Clarity 10 Tour".

Signing Abandon Kansas to Gotee.

My first show at the Ryman…Death Cab for Cutie.

A trip to Maui in May with Sara and her family…which included a day trip to Oahu to see filming locations for LOST.

My niece Eva Sephora was born on July 25 to my brother Brandon and sister in-law Samantha.

Holding Eva for the first time on August 8.

Carnton Plantation concerts from SixtyFour and an Eagles cover band.

Seeing Metallica for the first time…which included an encore with Lemmy from Motorhead.

Taking Sara to her first Penn State football game (a white out)…even though I was sick, it rained, and we loss.

Seeing Them Crooked Vultures...which included legendary bassist John Paul Jones.

A trip to FL in October with Sara to see U2 for my first time and go to Universal Studios.

Road trips with Sara that included visiting wineries off the Natchez Trace and Fall Creek Falls.

Seeing Jay-Z and Bruce Springsteen for the first time…a 3 hour set from the Boss included the entire "Born to Run" album.

Witnessing THE Titans win of the year at LP Field with a 99 yard drive and a 4th down last second touchdown pass.

Seeing SixtyFour go from a performance at a housing clubhouse in January to an electric show at 12th & Porter in December.

Spending Christmas in Indio/La Quinta, CA with Sara and her family that included a day at DisnleyLand, my first ostrich burger and date & banana shake, and evenings in the pool with 2 Buck Chuck.

Ending the year in PA with the Moist family.

Sara and I went to Cali for Thanksgiving, specifically the San Diego area. We flew in on Thanksgiving and drove up to Dana Point to meet the family. Overall we were very busy, driving up and down the 5, hitting as many spots as we could.

On Black Friday we spent time in Laguna Beach after grabbing breakfast at The Greeter's Corner Restaurant...

...and then hit up the Irvine Spectrum for some insane shopping while getting some killer food and brews at The Yard House.

The next day we drove north to visit the Zappin's and Oatley's. We hit up Kingsroad Cafe for breakfast, cruised by their friends boutique, did some shopping in Santa Monica, and ended the day with dinner at C & O Trattoria in Venice followed by a walk on the pier. It was a great time. 

The next day we hit up Kono's Cafe at Pacific Beach for an AMAZING breakfast burrito brunch... 

...and then hit up the Coronado area, specifically the beautiful Hotel Del Coronado. 

For dinner that evening we were treated to a home-cooked Korean meal courtesy of a family friend. I even tried the jellyfish. 

Our last day in SD we hit up the San Diego Zoo with Sara's mom. Pandas, gorillas, hippos, rhinos, and elephants oh my!

And yes, I finally had In-N-Out for the first time. 

After returning back to TN, and starting back at my new/old job,  I got the privilege to return to Cali this past week with Relient K. They performed their version of "Sleigh Ride" with Tom Wilson (Biff from Back to the Future) on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Tuesday evening. It was surreal being backstage as the other guests included Jim Carrey, Rosario Dawson, and Fred Willard. 

I even walked away with a Christmas gnome from the set.

My dad had a business trip lay over on Thursday 8/21 so we grabbed dinner and had some killer conversation time. It was great to see him. I went to another Sounds game with Sara and some kids she watches. Again, the fireworks were awesome. The next day we took a trip to Murfreesboro and met up with Tobin to see Abandon Kansas play. They definitely impressed me and though I don’t think their album matches up with the energy they have live, I look forward to keeping any eye on them.
I got see the mighty Stone Temple Pilots for the first time when they rocked out the Grand Ole Opry on 8/24. It was amazing. I was just glad Weiland showed up. He is by far one of the best modern day frontmen you will ever see. I felt like I was transported back to 1994 when they opened up with “Big Empty”. It was a kick ass show.

I went to yet another Sounds game with Sara, Derek, and Danny but this time it was Thirsty Thursday (ie, $1 beer). The tickets were free and the beer was cheap so obviously you can’t turn down entertainment like that plus the people watching is great.

I took a trip Labor Day weekend with my bros Phil and Tobin to St. Augustine, FL. It was the first time I could remember I took a “guys” trip. We stayed on a boat called the Flip Side (owned by the former drummer of Creed and now Alter Bridge) and lived it up large for 4 nights / 3 days. We probably drank way too many Goombay Smashes on Reggae Sunday at the Conch House. But the drinks were free and the hang time was killer. It was a very historic town and a very chill environment. Their tourist slogan was “A quaint little fishing village with a huge drinking problem”. Thanks to Richard, Roli, the McClelland family, and the rest of the SSB guys for the hospitality and great times. I had never been to St. Augustine before and always wanted to go, so I’m really glad I did and that I made a trip with some good dudes who have become great friends this past year. Here are some pics.

Once I got back to TN Sara and I grabbed dinner with the Boer family. Debb sure does know how to cook a killer meal and not just cause I hadn’t had a home cooked meal in a while. Then on the weekend Sara and I had dinner with Beth and Devan at City House in the Germantown area of Nashville. It was my first time eating there and I freakin’ loved it. We followed that up by hittin’ up 3 Crow for Emmy’s and Derek’s birthdays. A lot of friends came out and it was great time seeing everyone and catching up.

I went to my first Tennessee Titans game yesterday. My bro JR had free tickets and I of course took the opportunity to go. I have never been to a pro football game before and it was killer to go to game 1. Not only did the Titans pull out a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars but Penn State alumni quarterback Kerry Collins came in and drove the team down the field for the game clinching touchdown win. As one of my favorite ESPN commentators says, “He was as cool as the other side of the pillow”.

Penn State football has started and so far we’re 2-0. I think we’ll have a really good season and I can’t wait to go home to PA at the end of the month for the Illinois game which is also the WHITE OUT game. And in case you don’t know what that is then click HERE.

Anyways, that’s the latest.

On a side note, I finally weighed myself the other weekend at a Restoration Hardware in AL. I clocked in at 157.2lbs. Not too bad. If you knew me a year and a half ago I was over 200lbs. But I lost a lot of weight real quick when shit hit the fan last year. I was worried that once I started working in March and actually had some money in my pocket that I would start eating more and put the weight back on. But I haven’t. I have been diligent with refusing to eat the junk food and other stuff that was the cause of the weight going on in the first place. Not to mention I’m trying lots of new and healthier foods like salads. So yeah, I just feel healthier overall and it feels great. Now I just need to get toned up. I have been looking at getting a YMCA membership now that I’m settled into a place and a routine and even more so since there’s one right across the street from my new place. So yes, if you know me, than all of this might sound weird. But I have learned that when one area of your life changes many other areas of your life will change as well and hopefully all for the good, which I believe in my case they are. It’s not to say that I was a bad person before or an extremely overweight person but I have decided to take what has happened to me and create as many good and positive things out of it as I can.

Something that has come to my attention lately is this. There is a beauty in the spiritual. I don’t feel this was something I could have said years ago. I can only associate this awareness with attaching myself to Him as deeply as I have tried this past year. And because of that I have taken notice of a new beauty in people that align themselves with Him as well. It’s a beauty I have never seen before. It’s extremely exciting, humbling, and challenging all at the same time. 

Anyways, that’s the latest. Be blessed and be well.

Last year’s 4th of July sucked for me. This year I got to spend it with family. And it was a killer time. Brandon and Sam, plus the dogs Texas and Tenne, came down and stayed with me for 4 days starting on Thursday. Their friends Veronica and Johannah came too. It was amazing coming home to dogs at the house for the first time in over a year. I loved watching them run around inside and outside in the yard. Even thought Tenne is only 8lbs she’s got the heart and energy of a dog atleast twice her size. I spent the first day mostly poolside with a PBR in hand. The result was getting some serious redness on my shoulders. But before that started I did secure a new place to live. It’s gonna be weird going from the house to a 1 bedroom apartment. Anyways, we then headed down to the Saucer in the evening and enjoyed a few rounds. Friday was the 4th so we spent more time poolside, though Brandon and I had to take some shelter due to the redness the day before, and then cooked out some brats on my camping stove. I’m used to cooking them on the grill but in a skillet on a camping stove wasn’t too bad. We then headed to downtown Franklin for their festivities. We met up with Sara and Emmy and grabbed some pints at McCreary’s and then watched the fireworks from the top of a parking garage. Since Brandon was in town we just had to go to Pancake Pantry Saturday morning for breakfast. Caribbean pancakes are the way to go. In the evening we met up with the Boer’s and Jackson’s for dinner at Wild Wasabi followed by some fancy mojitos at Lime. Sunday was time for worship at Grace Center followed by an afternoon of Guitar Hero 3 for Brandon and I. We ended the evening with pints and appetizers at Jonathan’s. In all, it was a GREAT time. I only wish Brandon and Sam lived down here. Here’s to hoping.